My True Self
by Ratface721
Summary: Ryoma Echizen is sick of the tennis scene in America and decides to head east to Japan. While trying to concentrate on her music and culinary skills, can Ryoma really forget about being the "Prince of Tennis?" Fem!Ryo.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is my first prince of tennis fanfic so please bear with me! I hope you guys enjoy it! I don't know who I'm going to pair Ryoma with, but to warn you now, Ryoma is going to be….female!!!

Disclaimer: I do not and will not in the future own anything related to Prince of Tennis. Have a nice day!

This is regular speaking.

**This is in English**

_These are thoughts._

==============Chapter 1: Prologue===============

___New York, U.S.___

"**I can't believe it! At the young age of 14 years old, Ryoma Echizen has conquered seven consecutive US tournaments! And now he has earned a Grand Slam under his belt. With the Wimbledon soon to come, will Ryoma be partic---"**

Beep. The channel changed.

"**On today's news, there is tennis prodigy among us. His name is Ryoma Echi---"**

Beep. The channel was changed again.

"**Can you believe that out of nowhere this youngster comes out and dominates the tennis field of both his age group and many adults? I mean. Sure his dad is the Nanjiro Echizen, but will Ryoma Echizen soon surpass his own fa---"**

Zap. The T.V. was turned off and the announcer's voice grew silent.Inside the room were four people: Ryoga Echizen, Nanjiro Echizen, Rinko Echizen, and the aforementioned, Ryoma Echizen. The three males in the room looked very much alike with glossy green hair with black highlights. They also shared unique eyes of golden that were shaped much like a cat's were. The lone woman, Rinko Echizen, mother of Ryoga and Ryoma, had long, silky brown hair that was currently done up in a bun. Her normally glittering brown eyes filled with laughter were squinted in anger. Only Ryoma took heed of that lone warning sign that his mother was about to go on a warpath. He pulled down his trademark white hat and slowly started to edge away from his mother. However, Ryoga only moved closer to Ryoma and in turn, into his mother's range. The golden-eyed male in his late teens turned to his younger sibling with a growing smirk on his face. Nanjiro, too, moved closer, not wanting to miss the conversation.

"Oy, Ochibi. Looks like you're getting more popular these days. It's too bad that all you attract are girls," Ryoga said in a not-so-sympathetic voice. "Tsk. Tsk."

"Oh, why! Why must my child be into girls?! Not that I mind since all those nice figured girls are always around in those tiny sk---" Nanjiro's words were cut off by a loud feminine, I mean, masculine scream. Both Ryoga and Ryoma swiftly looked at their father lying on the ground with their mother's foot holding him in place there. Flames were shooting out of her eyes and an angry symbol was on her forehead, depicting her mood.

In a supppeeerrr sweet voice, Rinko asker her husband, "What was that dear? Did you say something? Important?" Nanjiro may have had much tolerance against much pain and was very dense in some situations, but even he recognized his love's tone of voice and quickly denied that he had said anything.

Angry Rinko disappeared and Mother Rinko appeared again as she turned to face her children.

The siblings quickly came to attention as experience told them to give their mother all due respect when she was in one of her moods.

"I am sick of Ryoma playing all these tennis matches. I don't mind that my child plays them, but I think Ryoma should also pursue other interests as well!!! And I can't believe that my beloved child is thought to be a boy!!!!!" She ended on a high pitch note and started to bawl her eyes out.

Ryoma sighed and took off her cap. Long green tresses flowed down her head and landed neatly against the middle of her back. She took off her extra two shirts; one that was her usually red cap-sleeved shirt and the other that had 20 Kg lead weights on it. The combined shirts help disguise her chest. Then she took off her 10 Kg weights off each of her wrists and ankles with a weary sigh. Ryoma now looked more feminine, albeit more tired, with her hair down and extra weight off.

"Kaa-san. I know how you feel, and I also want…I want a change in pace," Ryoma said hesitantly. _It's now or never_, she thought.

Her parents and brother looked at her. The waterworks dried up and Rinko's eyes started to sparkle as she suspected about what was to come. Her father and brother, however, looked panicked and slightly scared at her.

"I…I don't feel like tennis is fun anymore. I beat everyone there is out there. The only ones left are Aniki and Oyaji, but it's not enough anymore. Even though Kevin and the others are fun, I want to quit tennis," Ryoma decreed.

"But! What!! Don't you think you should reconsi---" Ryoga and Nanjiro started to talk simultaneously until Rinko smacked them both on the side of their heads. The golden-eyed girl waited until her family quieted down before talking again.

"I'm not giving up on tennis completely. I'll still play against you and aniki, dad. So don't worry about my skills rusting. I'll play against Kevin and the others as well in the spare time. They already know about my decision so don't even try to think about guilt tripping me," Ryoma said with a steely gaze at her male family members. "I'm going to focus on my culinary and musical talents for the next couple of years. But there are few things that I want done." Once again, Ryoma was interrupted. This time was by her mother though.

"EEEk!!!! Ryoma is going to be a real girl for now on. Oh, the shopping trips and dress-up dates. I can't believe this! I know. I just saw this adorable white dress that will…" Rinko started to ramble until her daughter yelled, "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" Rinko had shut up quick.

"I have several conditions that I want done, oyaji. And I know you can get them done so don't even think about not doing them for me."

"Oy, ochibi. Why should I do that? Tennis is everything to us! To me! You were going to surpass me and Ryoga remember??!!! That had always been your dream!!!" Nanjiro said in a shout. Ryoga stayed quiet and Ryoma, too, was slightly unfazed by their father's words.

"Oyaji. Listen to me. I'll still be playing tennis, but not for a while. Plus you owe me for having to play as a boy instead of a girl. Do you know HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO HAVE GIRLS SCREAM "**MARRY ME MARRY ME**! WHEN I AM THE SAME SEX AS THEM!?" Ryoma said, finally losing her cool. _Seriously, those girls were annoying! And I'm tired of playing as a boy, even though it was nice provoking my opponents._

"Made made Dane, oyaji. There's also one other thing I want to tell you. Even though the school year just started, I'm still going to attend St. Andrews this year. But I want to move to Japan after that."

"WHAT!" Nanjiro wasn't alone in his shout. Ryoga and Rink were also shocked. Ryoma smirked. _Made made dane._

"It's reasonable. Next year Aniki is going to start college. Mom wanted to move back to her homeland and be closer to her sister. And dad, I know you miss the good old days. Plus, "Ryoma said, continuing in a soft voice, "I want to live in the land that you became the legendary Samurai. I want to live my own life."

Ryoma's soft words finally cracked her father's shell. Rinko's brown eyes shimmered with tears and she went to hug her daughter. Ryoga only asked one question: "Why can't you just do it here?"

"Because," Ryoma said in an agitated voice, "Everywhere I go, there are reporters following me. There is no moment of peace for me!" She strode to the window and pulled back the curtains. Flashes went off and there were multitudes of reporters on the front lawn waiting for the _Prince of Tennis_ to come outside. "It's only a matter of time before everyone finds out that I'm a girl. Then there will be no peace for me. Old opponents will come back looking for a rematch to prove that no girl could beat them. I won't be able to relax at school. I won't be able to pursue my violin and piano skills. And I certainly won't be able to follow my goal of becoming a great chef like mom is. In Japan, I'll just be Ryoma Echizen, the girl. And not Ryoma, Echizen, Prince of Tennis. In Japan, I can be myself and finally be who I can be without all the hassle of being hounded by reporters and stalking fans! I can have actually friends who won't care that I'm better at tennis than them!"

The girl's speech stirred her family. They hadn't realized that she had felt that way. Nanjiro was used to the fame due to his long career in tennis and Rinko had her share of fame due to her success at high profile cases. Ryoga was popular with the ladies and a monster on the tennis scene, but never realized how hard his little sister had it. The three Echizens looked at each other and silently agreed that they only wanted Ryoma to be happy.

Nanjiro said, "If that's what you want brat, then its fine by me."

"I was getting tired of American girls already anyway. I need a new change of venue," Ryoga said with a wide grin.

"I do miss Japan. And a year is good amount of time to get all of our affairs ready as well." Rinko told her daughter. Ryoma looked at her family, small and silent tears trailed down her face. Everyone gathered for a hug. _It's actually going to be happening. The Prince of Tennis will disappear and only Ryoma Echizen will in his place_.

"So,um." Ryoma started, breaking the silence, "How are we going to tell the press?"

"WHAT!" The others shouted. Ryoga asked, "Oy, ochibi, you didn't think that far ahead?"

Nope was her only response. The others sweat dropped. _This is going to be a pain _Ryogathought_. I raised such a talented and intelligent daughter, yet where did I go wrong. Must be Nanjiro's fault. _Rinkothought_. Hot Japanese girls here I come! (_Noneedtotellwhowasthinkingthat_.)_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not freaking own Prince of Tennis. I just think that a lot of the guys are really really really hot! Lol

This is in normal speaking, meaning Japanese.

**This is usually in English speaking.**

_These are usually thoughts._

=======Chapter 2: Press Conference=======

Six months later. The Wimbledon tournament had come and gone. Everyone had expected to see the legendary Prince of Tennis play and win the Grand Slam. Everyone was shocked to see him as a no-show. Then two days after the tournament, Ryoma Echizen informed the media that there would be a press conference open to the press and public alike in one week's time. Reporters and fans were counting down the days until the impromptu conference. Ryoma did not expect a large turn out due to the suddenness of it.

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The sports auditorium was filled near to capacity. Nearly every seat was filled and there were no open seats around the stage. Reporters and Ryoma Echizen fans alike were abuzz at the sudden press conference. Many conversations went on as they waited for the Prince of Tennis to come.

"**It's so rare for Ryoma to call a conference." "He rarely stays still enough for us to take pictures of him after his tournaments." "Do you know what this conference is about?"**

"**Eek! Isn't that the Ryoga Echizen, Ryoma's cool older brother?" "Omg, it's the legendary Samurai Nanjiro." "Wow. Rinko Echizen sure doesn't look like she gave birth to two kids." "I wonder where Ryoma is?"**

"**Dude, when is this thing going to start?" "Hush. They might hear you and kick us out." "You're crazy. The conference hasn't even started yet." "Not them. The fans, man. They get pretty vicious if they think someone is talking bad about Ryoma. I remember seeing this dude getting beat up by a couple of girls the other…."**

"**Ahem**." That single sound quieted the auditorium. Cameras started to roll and reporters got ready with their pens and pads as the Echizen family minus one gathered near the podium. The live event was streaming world-wide including in the United Stated, France, Germany, and Japan. Young, aspiring tennis players alike, around the world, stilled their rackets and quieted to hear what their idol, the Prince of Tennis, had to say.

The former pro tennis player took control of the mike. "For all those that might not know who I am, I am Nanjiro Echizen, father of Ryoma Echizen. By my side are my wife, Rinko, and my oldest son, Ryoga. We come with important news."

No one expected the news to have such an impact on the world. Especially the tennis world.

"Ryoma will no longer be active in the United States tennis scene. As of right now, we and even he does not know when and if he will be returning to play tennis officially again. Thank you for your time. Have a nice day."

The audience was stunned. A stony faced Ryoga and Rinko turned to leave and so did Nanjiro. Their sudden movement jolted the crowd out of shock. Reporters and fans alike screamed out questions, hoping to get some answers.

"What do you mean Ryoma has quit the tennis scene?"

"Was it his decision or yours?"

"Has Ryoma been injured in anyway and is that why he is quitting?"

"Wait, can you tell us where Ryoma is right now?"

"Does this have anything to do with Ryoma not participating in the Grand Slam?"

"Where is Ryoma right now?"

"Mrs. Echizen, what do you think about this?"

"Ryoga, how does it feel knowing that your brother has quit?"

"Nanjiro, what can you tell us about this sudden decision?"

Similar questions were shouted out to the Echizen family. No comment was their only answer. In a single line, they strode out the back door and stepped into the hall. Waiting in her signature boy's clothes was Ryoma. "So it begins." She predicted.

____In France____

Three friends sitting at a café were taking a break from their tennis practice when they heard that Ryoma was holding a press conference. Two blondes, one girl and one boy, sat on their seats, too shocked to even close their mouths. The lone brunette boy stared at the television screen with an empty stare. Several minutes passed and only until the brunette's spoon dropped out of his hand and clattered on the table did they snap out of their revere.

"Did you just hear what I just heard, Jose? Leo?" the blond girl asked.

"Amy, if you just heard that Ryoma is getting out of the tennis scene, then I heard it too," Jose, the blonde boy, said. They felt an icy aura starting to form on the side of them. They both looked at Leo, knowing that he would be the most affected out of the three of them. Leo slowly looked at his friends. His silver eyes were glinting in the light.

"Ryoma has some explaining to do," Leo growled out in a low voice. The handsome teenager thought about his old friend that he had met and played against all those years ago when her family visited France during the summer. _Just what is going on with her? What the hell is going on?_

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_____Germany_____

"What the hell?!" shouted a muscular blue-haired teenager. His usually amicable face was twisted in anger and confusion. His best friend, a red-headed boy, looked at him, knowing what was going on in his mind. The calm teenager gently pried his friend's fingers from the portable television, not wanting him to break it.

"Brock, did she give you any warning that she was going to do this?" the lean redhead asked his friend, already suspecting the answer.

"Ryoma never mentioned any of this when she emailed me last month. What the hell is going on, Hiro? Do you think that she is really going to give up tennis like this?" Brock asked his friend in a panicky voice. "She wouldn't dare give it up before our rematch right?" "Right?!!"

Hiro could only sigh and tried to calm his friend down. "It looks like that we are going to have to do some long distance calling in order to get to the bottom of this…."

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______In Japan_____

Many tennis players from different schools sat shocked at the news. Their idol, a Japanese player their own age, had retired from the scene with no explanation. Some of most powerful players in the high school district couldn't believe what happening halfway across the world.

"This must be a sorry joke being played on ore-sama, neh, Kabaji?"

"I can't let my guard down and neither should the rest of the team."

"Saa., What is going on here." ..eyes open… "This had best not be a sick joke."

"What is going on over there?" an effeminate boy asked quietly. A scary aura emitted from him.

"This is so unlucky. Gotta check my horoscope!"

And etc… Everyone on the tennis beat was mad with questions. Different magazine including _Tennis Around_ _the_ _World_, _Unlimited_ _Sports_, and _Monthly_ _Tennis_ were running frantic to get the facts and to get the news.

_____Back in Japan, Several hours later…_____

The Echizens were at Kennedy Airport in disguise. They were sending off one of their own to Japan. Ryoma Echizen was leaving to go to Japan alone to get use to her new home. Ryoga and their parents were staying behind to do ground control and to hide the fact that Ryoma Echizen, Prince of Tennis, was already gone, and the Ryoma Echizen, the music prodigy with culinary skills, was nowhere near the commotion.

"Take care chibisuke. I'll send some oranges to you soon when everything quiets down a bit." Ryoga said to his little sister, giving her a last hug before her plane was to take off.

"Make sure you eat carefully and be sure to take down any guys that try to harass you," her mother advised her. Her gentle face was filled with emotion.

"Don't let any of your skills rust and don't slack off on any of your practices. Be it tennis, music, or cooking. We'll be in Japan in six months," Nanjiro said. He sniffled softly. His baby girl was growing up. Wait, if she was growing up, then she would have a boyfriend. No! His baby girl wasn't ready for a boyfriend. Nanjiro snapped out of his thoughts when Ryoma gave him hug.

"I'll miss you guys until you guys are able to come to Japan. Until then, Mom, I will keep and myself healthy. Bro, don't forget to send me oranges. And dad….I'll keep in practice and won't find a boyfriend until you guys get there." Ryoma said, trying to lighten the mood. Her voice started to break up.

"CALLING ALL PASSENGERS FOR TOKYO, JAPAN, FLIGHT NUMBER 3425. CALLING ALL PASSENGERS"

Giving her family one last hug, Ryoma said her goodbyes. She grabbed her bags and made her way to her terminal. Her family waved goodbye to her until neither party were in each other's sights.

"Well, let's do some packing and get the hell out of here." Nanjiro said, linking his arms around his wife's and son's shoulders. They left and hurried out of the airport before any of the media found out their whereabouts. Ryoma stared at her parents from her window seat.

"Goodbye America. Goodbye everyone."_ And Goodbye to the Prince of Tennis._

The plane took off. Ryoma was now on her way to Japan. But wait, the tennis prodigy thought for a moment while trying to get comfortable in her chair. _What did I forget to do? Now everyone knows that I'm not playing tennis…Oh, shit. I forgot that the conference was live. I didn't call any of my friends to warn them. Oh well. I'll do that when I land. *Yawn**_ The teenager girl soon fell asleep, all remainders to call her international friends were forgotten.

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And that's it for Chapter 2. I know I made Ryoma a little OC, but hey, it'll work out somehow.

Thanks for everyone who made this story a favorite and to **Azalie-Kauriu, Ryokochan13, Windyelephant, ErzaScarlet14, **and** Fuji 2.0 **forreviewing**!**

Plus, there are going to be some original characters in this story as well. Ryoma is such a popular person! Hehehehehe


	3. Chapter 3

This is regular speaking; most likely in Japanese.

**This is in English conversation.**

_These are thoughts_.

Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis……

To clear some matters, Ryoma does not know of anyone from Japan yet. So she basically has a clean slate to cover in Japan….

======Chapter 3: Japan, Here I Am=====

The plane was setting down onto the runway. Inside the plane, passengers started to stir and get ready to leave the plane. One lone girl still stayed comfortably in her seat, exhaustion keeping her in the land of dreams. One by one, passengers started to gather their bags and leave until she was the only one left. The flight attendant thought the girl looked adorable sleeping, but had to wake her.

"Excuse me, miss." The flight attendant said, slightly shaking the girl's shoulder. "It's time to get off and you are the last one."

The teenager mumbled and slowly opened her eyes. Her golden eyes looked sleepy as she stood up and stretched. Ryoma thanked the flight attendant and she, too, gathered her things and left the plane. Moments later, the former Tennis Prodigy took her first steps onto Japan soil.

Arms wide and body stretched, Ryoma decided to just go straight home. She decided to call a taxi. As she waited, she noticed that there was a loud, purple-haired boy talking loudly to his group of friends. Normally, she would have ignored boys, but this one sparked her interest due to two reasons: one, he was such a prick and two; they were talking about the Prince of Tennis, which was her. She edged closer to his group, using the excuse as an opportunity to sit down and rest her feet.

"Ore-sama cannot believe that Ryoma Echizen has left tennis. It must be a joke, neh, Kabaji?" the purple-haired diva said.

"Usu." A tall and emotionless boy said. Another teenager with glasses said, "I doubt it was a joke. It was national news." "Nonsense, Ore-sama will not accept this. I will personally be calling the US Tennis Association to find out what is really going on, or my name isn't…"

"Atobe Keigo" a chorus of deep voices said. Then one boy with silver hair and a kind demeanor asked, "Um, does anyone know where Jiro went?"

All the boys looked around for the missing 'Jiro', but Ryoma tuned out them out. _I can't believe that the first day I come here, people are already talking about him, I mean, me._ A small horn broke her train of thought. Ryoma looked up and saw a yellow cab parked nearby. It was her taxi. Ryoma picked up her tennis bags, clothes luggage, and Karupin's cage and started to walk to the ride to her new home. Until she tripped on a body that is, and everything in her arms flew to the ground. The boys from before quickly ran towards her after seeing what had just happened and why it had happened.

"What the hell was that?" Ryoma asked out loud. She felt something stir underneath her and noticed an arm. And a leg….it was a guy! Ryoma quickly scrambled off of the poor guy and tried to help him up. The emotionless boy from before came to her rescue and lifted the unconscious boy up with one hand unto his shoulders.

"Thank you," Ryoma said to Kabaji in small, sweet voice. Kabaji looked down at the girl and blushed, the faint coloring barely visible on his tan skin. The other teenagers also stopped to stare at the beautiful girl. Ryoma had decided to let down her hair during the flight and now the wind was softly making it flutter in the air. Her outfit of an emerald green sweater and faded blue jeans topped with a gold belt complimented her already unique looks. Atobe Keigo stopped in front of her, bedazzled by her magnificence.

"Excuse me, miss. As captain of my tennis team and responsible for those under me, Ore-sama humbly apologizes for his teammate tripping you." Atobe said in a silky voice. _She's so cute. And that tennis racket must mean that she plays tennis. Ore-sama is sure that she has heard of my talents and won't be able to resist my charms_.

Ryoma just sweat dropped. _I can't believe this guy is trying to hit on me. Who does he think he is? Casanova?_ Ryoma sidestepped Atobe and walked towards her luggage that a redhead and the blue haired teenager from before were holding for her.

"Thank you for picking up my stuff. I'll just be on my way then." Ryoma thanked them and started to walk off abruptly. The other boys, Kabaji, Shishido, Chotaro, and Hiyoshi, had mix reactions about Ryoma. Kabaji was shocked that Ryoma had just ignored his captain like that. Shishido and the redhead from before, Gakuto, bursted out laughing while Chotaro tried to quiet them down. Hiyoshi looked amazed that Ryoma didn't even blink an eye at his captain's speech.

The Hyotei team had never met a girl who hadn't fallen at Atobe's feet before, let alone totally ignore him!

The blue-haired tensai pushed up his glasses, "Oh, no miss. The fault was ours anyway. Jiro knows better than to be sleeping in random places. But as an apology, may we offer you a ride since yours has left?"

Ryoma turned to look at where her taxi was at. Or rather, where it had been five minutes ago before she had tripped. Outwardly, she gave a cute smile. Inwardly she sighed. _I can't believe that my first day here, I can't even get to my place in a normal way! Am I cursed or something?_

"I don't think I should. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be riding with people I don't even know." She said logically. Atobe's ears perked up. He quickly swiveled towards Oshitari and Ryoma. _ Ah, the only reason why she ignored me is that she does not know of Ore-sama's greatness. I must immediately fix that problem for her, kind gentleman that I am._ He cleared his throat and waited for everyone's attention before orating.

"Then there is no problem. I am Atobe Keigo, heir to Atobe Corporations and Captain of the Hyotei Tennis Team Division of Suzaku Star Academy. This here is…..(He pointed at his teammates with grand and "elegant" gestures) Munehiro Kabaji, Jiro Akutagawa, Yushi Oshitari, Gakuto Mukahi, Ryo Shishido, Chotaro Ohtori, Wakashi Hiyoshi. And I am, of course, the great Atobe Keigo, legendary in the Japan Tennis circuit." Small stars started to shine in the background behind him and a sunset appeared out of nowhere, causing a glowing halo to surround his head.

Before Ryoma could decline the offer she barely paid attention to or even say Made Made Dane, Atobe snapped his fingers. Black-clad servants out of nowhere appeared and grabbed her things. Then they were all hustled into a stretched black limousine that just screamed, "Look at me! I'm so rich!"

------Inside the Limo-----

"Where to mademoiselle? You seem amazed at the sights that Tokyo has to offer. Are you not a native of Japan?" Oshitari asked Ryoma.

"Eto. This is my first time being in Japan." Ryoma responded. She stared out of the window, trying to ignore Atobe speaking in prose near her ear. The rest of the team was just sitting in their seats, relaxed and watching the spectacle before them.

"But you speak so well for a non-native, my little lady. Ore-sama would be more than happy to take you sightseeing if you wish. I have access to all of the most popul…" Atobe bragged to Ryoma, not that she was listening. She was used to idiots talking, mainly from two dummies. Baka Ryoga and even Bigger Baka Oyaji. Sigh. _I can never catch a break can I? _An unfamiliar voice interrupted her internal musing and she caught most of what was being said

"….Can we stop by the Star Academy for a second? I have to turn in my report to Sakaki-sensei. It's only fifteen minutes away!"

"Jiro. You should have done that before falling asleep when we left the Academy today. Ore-sama has already promised this young lady to take her home." More bickering could be heard until Atobe finally agreed to take Jiro to school.

Ryoma watched silently at the exchange between the boy who had tripped her and the guy who was getting on her nerves. Something about their conversation struck something in her memory. _Where did I hear about this Star Academy before? Why does it sound so familiar? Wait…not THE PHOENIX STAR ACADEMY?!!_

"Oy, Monkey King, what's this Star Academy that you guys are talking about," Ryoma asked in a slightly nervous voice.

_Monkey King? Ore-sama does not look like a monkey. But at least she is paying attention to me this time._ "We all attend Phoenix Star Academy, or Star Academy, for short. The Academy is divided into three divisions: Hyotei which we belong to, Seigaku, and Rikkaidai. All three divisions excel in sports and in academics. Star Academy has been ranked 1st in the National School Performance Ratings in the last 50 years."

"Wait, so you guys all attend this elite school? Why aren't you guys in uniform then?" Ryoma asked in a slight panic. _Please, please, oh please, tell me that they don't go there. Please Kami!_

"Of course Ore-sama and his friends attend Star. We are usually in uniform but all of the tennis team regulars were given the week off in order to recover from the news that the Prince of Tennis has left us forever. Anyway, Ore-sama digresses and is being rude to his guest. You seem very interested in the Academy even though this is your first time here."

"Um. Phoenix Star has such a renowned reputation. On the travel guides and Japan's hot spots, it was highly recommended to visit. So help a newcomer out and tell me more about the Academy." Ryoma asked with a smile on her face. "Please?" _Let him be as egotistical as I think he is and brag all about the Academy. I really hope they don't…._

"Ah, yes. Ore-sama would gladly fulfill a lovely lady such as yourself of such a reasonable request. Ahem, the Academy has different dorms, but those in the tennis teams usually reside in the same one. There are usually four to five levels to each dorm. The Tennis Dorm has level 4: Freshmen, Level 3: Juniors, and Level 2-1: Seniors. Freshmen are required to stay on the top level because the upperclassmen usually are in a rush to leave to tournaments and whatnot. Most of the tennis teams and all of the regulars, for the three tennis teams, stay in the dorms, ourselves included."

Ryoma processed that last bit in her brain and ignored the rest of Atobe's lecture. _Omg. I cannot believe this. I am going to be in the same dorm as them. Ugh. I don't even play tennis anymore and they stick me in the Tennis Dorm, or T-Dorm, because everywhere else is full! I cannot believe my luck. And now I have to constantly see Monkey Face nearly every single day!_

Ryoma's internal pity show was cut short when the car suddenly stopped. The rest of the team members besides Oshitari and Kabaji awoke from their nap startled. They had fallen asleep when Atobe had started talking. They knew how much he loved to talk about himself.

"Where are we?" Ryoma asked. Atobe smirked and gestured for her to get out of the car and look outside. Ryoma, for once, listened to Atobe's order and her golden eyes widened as she tried to take in the sight before her.

In front of her was a wide courtyard and wounding driveway filled with flowers and fountains. Shaped around the courtyard were five buildings; each with their own corresponding flowers planted around the building. There were red, yellow, white, blue, and black roses surrounding the five buildings. The tulips, roses, magnolias, and cherry blossom trees were in full bloom. A small breeze gathered the falling petals to create a whirlwind of nature's finest around the courtyard. Hidden wind chimes and bell played their melodic tunes as the wind played in the air.

There weren't that many people around, but those that were had on the most elegant uniforms that Ryoma had yet to see in America or in Japan. The guys' uniform was consisted of a dark blue blazer with gold threading on the cuffs and collar. Their pants were the darkest black and even from her distance, Ryoma could tell that the outfit was made from the finest materials. On the front pocket of each blazer was a red phoenix rising above five golden stars.

The girls' uniform was slightly different. The pleated black and green skirt looked like it only reached to about mid-thigh or maybe three inches above the knee. The girls' socks were dark green like emeralds and had gold stars threaded around the openings. The shirts were a pristine white and the blazers were emerald colored. Like their male counterparts, the girls' blazers had a red phoenix rising above five stars sewn onto their front pocket.

Ryoma's jaw slightly opened and dropped. Her eyes were still wide with amazement. Atobe inwardly squealed at her cuteness. On the outside, however, he remained his radiant self, of course.

"This is THE Phoenix Star Academy that Ore-sama was telling you about, miss." Atobe said.

"Wow." Was her only comment. Ryoma was still dazed at the apparent beauty and wealth displayed before her.

Atobe snapped his fingers, gaining his group's attention. He led the way to the main office where he thought Sakaki-sensei might be. The others only shrugged their shoulders and followed. Ryoma, too, followed after collecting her bags. She had walked several meters behind them, and none of them noticed that she had followed them except for Oshitari. But he wasn't going to say anything.

At the front desk, Atobe stopped in front of two student workers. Both girls noticed a shadow descend over them and squealed out loud at who was in front of them. "Atobe-sama!!!!" Their high pitched screams gained the attention of the administration and of their fellow peers. The male classmates only rolled their eyes and went back to their business, slightly jealous at the attention that the tennis team usually gets. The females, however, ran towards the tennis players and swarmed them. They were screaming the usual stuff like "You're so great!" "Please date me!" "I love you!" etc. Atobe just basked in the admiring auras and did his usual charm,

Ryoma DID NOT want to get into that mess. _I had enough of that in America, and if they see me with them, I know I won't make it out alive. Well, I'm sure that I could take them on with the moves that okaa-san taught me, but then life would be hard for me at school. Sigh_. After having her usual pity episode, Ryoma caught the eye of one of the wandering adults. This adult was in a business suit and looked like he was authority. The adult's name is Taro Sasaki, coach of the Hyotei Tennis Team.

"You look new here. Are you the new transfer student? I am Sasaki, Hyotei's tennis team coach." He said.

"Hai. I am the new student. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I go to my room now and settle in? It was a long flight here." Ryoma asked the man. _Even though he's Monkey King's coach, he seems like he is a reasonable person. Maybe Atobe is just crazy_. Sakaki nodded and allowed her to pass. Atobe and the rest of the team finally noticed their coach standing outside the office. And in turn, they noticed Ryoma with her bags walking towards the T-Dorm.

"Oh, miss. Where are you going? That's the Tennis Dorm. It's reserved for this school's tennis players," Gakuto shouted out to Ryoma.

"I'm a new student here and the only available room is in you guys' dorm. Don't worry, I'll be a first year when I start here so I won't be in yours or Monkey King's way." Ryoma answered.

She continued to make the way to her dorm and new home for the next few years. But one last question made her stop on last time.

"Can you at least tell us your name?" Oshitari asked loudly. He finally noticed that they did not know the young girl's name and decided to take matters into his own hands when he realized that Atobe wasn't going to get around to the matter.

Ryoma gave a wide smirk before she answered. "My name is Ryoma Echizen."

She then hurriedly made her way into the yellow dorm and closed the door shut.

Several seconds passed before all of the tennis players shouted, "USO!!!!" They looked at each other and the same thoughts were going through their minds: _Ryoma Echizen can't be a girl!_

While they might have wanted to go after the girl for more information, the crowd of adoring fans would not let them pass. And so, that is how Ryoma spent and survived her first day in Japan.

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=====T-Dorm, Fourth Level, Room 101=====

Inside the room were Ryoma, an oak desk, a single full sized bed, and several dressers. It was dark and Ryoma decided to open the blinds to let the light in. An exhausted Ryoma flopped onto her bed and just thought about the time to come.

_Looks like I'm the only one staying in this room. I hope my new neighbors aren't loud or noisy. I'm glad I have to room all of the way at the end of the hall so that I can practice my violin in peace. Sigh, it's been a long day…_ Ryoma spoke out loud as she started to worry about the days to come.

"Looks like things are going to be interesting. Is it fate that I'm stuck in the dorm designated for tennis players? And what if someone recognizes me and puts two and two together? I mean, during my tennis matches back in America, I usually bound my chest and wore extra clothing. I also took the precaution of tying my hair back and wearing a hat out in public. And those sunglasses of mine completely covered these golden eyes of mine. So, maybe, just maybe, I can pull this off."

As Ryoma started to ponder about what was going to happen to her in the future, jet lag crept up on her and without realizing it, fell asleep.

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And Cut! That's the first chapter about Ryoma starting her new life in Japan. And she met the Hyotei team of all teams first. What is going to happen to her in the times to come?? Find out next time on :My True Self!

Sorry if the school's appearance itself isn't as interesting as I tried to make it out to be. All I can ask is that you use your imagination!!!.

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Thanks for all those who reviewed and favorite this story. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but school is almost ending for me and the evil teachers want to put all these projects as our last grades. Oh, the inhumanity!!!

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The romance plot of the story will be based on the polls for the most part! So please vote!

Updated 5/7/09.


	4. Chapter 4

This is regular conversation

_These are thoughts._

**This is English Conversation**

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, just happen to love it.

Author's Note: Even I'm not sure who Ryoma is going to end up with. Saa… who knows what's going to happen. I like the idea of a reverse harem. In this chapter, there is going to be a slight time skip, so be warned.

Thanks for all those that reviewed and/or read my story. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

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=====Chapter 4: Ack! My Phone!======

Ryoma tried to settle in into her new home. The days soon passed and turned into weeks. For the most part, things were going smoothly for the girl. Aside from the part that Atobe kept trying to hit on her whenever she went down to the dorm cafeteria for breakfast and dinner. The only respite she got from his advances was during the afternoon when she explored her new school, home, and town.

_It's been about two month since I've been here. Yet even though this is a school, I haven't seen any students around besides Monkey King and some of his lackeys during mealtimes! Where is everyone?_ Ryoma thought as she wandered around Star Campus. Some parts were restricted only to students, but Ryoma doubted that _nearly all_ of the student body could be hiding out in those places. The beautiful prodigy felt bored.

_This is ridiculous! I don't have anything to do! I can't even call my parents or aniki cuz of that baka Monkey King._

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////// == Flashback == \\\\\\

Two weeks ago. Ryoma was still drowsy and sleepy-eyed as she made her way down the many steps to the cafeteria. She didn't bother to use the elevator because she knew her brother would make fun of her and call her a pampered princess. Plus, it was a good workout walking up and down the steps in her new weights of 12 pounds that she wore on her wrists and ankles. Not that anyone realized what they were since she usually covered her ankle weights with socks and her wrist ones while wearing a jacket or sweater.

As usual, Ryoma entered the cafeteria and noticed that aside from her and the majority of the Hyotei regulars, there were only a handful of students eating in the canteen. None of them caught her interest except a tall, pale student with reflective rectangle glasses. Every time that she glanced his way, he was always writing in a black notebook. But Ryoma didn't bother introducing herself since she was usually in a rush to eat and get away from the Atobe heir. Plus, she noticed that his drinks usually had this other-worldly color and smell to them. _I have enough trouble with the baka Monkey King. I really don't want to know what his drinks are about._

Ryoma had just sat down with her plate of food. Japanese style breakfast was her favorite and she had all of her favorites today: miso soup, rolled sweet egg, white rice with pickles, and steamed fish. _I love Japanese food. Sigh. I miss kaa-san's cooking. Maybe I'll call them tonight to see whether things have calmed down a bit._

The young girl was deep in thought as she ate her food. Before she ate her final dish, the miso soup, Ryoma had taken out her cell phone to see what time it was. Then something bumped into her. The sudden movement startled Ryoma and made the cell phone fall out of her hand and into her miso soup. A shocked Ryoma pulled out her cell phone and tried to dry it off as soon and fast as she could. It didn't turn back on or work even after taking the battery out and putting it back in. An enraged former tennis prodigy swiveled around and saw that Atobe had been the one to push into her. His back was turned away from her as she slowly stalked closer behind him. The other regulars noticed her enraged expression and thought that they could see a purple and black aura rise out of her. They slowly backed away from Atobe. Atobe observed that his teammates were stepping away from him and frowned.

"Ore-sama demands to know why you are walking away from him!" None of the boys answered him. Then he heard it. A low growl was emitted from behind him. An icy aura chilled his spine and Atobe, not wanting to be a coward, turned around to see the source of 'evil' behind him. He saw Ryoma and didn't realize that the angry aura and Ryoma were together.

"Ah, Ryoma! It is always a pleasure to see you in the morning. Ore-sama knows that today is going to be a good day since he has beheld your beauty," Atobe said, still not noticing that Ryoma's fists were clenched. "But, ore-sama notices that you seem very upset about something."

"You! You!!! You!!!!! BAKA!!!!"

The tennis player was shocked at being called a baka by Ryoma. He was used to Monkey King and thought of it as her way of showing affection, but being called a baka didn't seem like a loveable nickname, even for him. "What is wrong my lady? You must be mistaken. Ore-sama is no baka."

"Because of you, my cell phone fell into my soup. My MISO SOUP! And Now my CELL PHONE DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE!" Ryoma shouted at Atobe. She was close to blowing up.

Unwisely, Atobe said, "If that is all that is bothering you, ore-sama can buy you dozens of the newest phones for you to use!" That was apparently the last straw for Ryoma. The girl quickly strode up to Atobe and pulled her fist back. The other regulars noticed her stance and tried to warn the still clueless Atobe. It was too late. ***BAM*** Fist on flesh made a loud sound in the otherwise silent cafeteria. Atobe clutched his eye.

"AH! Ore-sama will now have a bruise on his eye. What did ore-sama do for you to hit him?"

"You BAKA! All of my numbers are on my phone! Now how will I call my mother tonight! And you made me ruin my miso soup!!! Argh!!" Ryoma threw up her arms and hands and stomped out of the cafeteria. Atobe was still clutching his eye and the other regulars gathered around him. Oshitari examined his injury. The sight wasn't pretty. His eye was starting to swell up and some discoloring was appearing.

"Whoa, that chick's got some punch." Shishido remarked. "The area around your eye is starting to yellow already."

"Ore-sama is not amused by your comments, Shishido."

"But, it was pretty funny. Even we noticed that she was mad. I guess ore-sama is weak against a pretty girl in more ways than one. Hehehe." Gakuto said and snickered. His snickers quieted under the combined glare of Atobe and Kabaji's unnerving stare.

"What I don't understand is why Ryoma acted so outrageously over a phone," Ohtori said out loud. His question got them thinking. Unbeknownst to them all, the black-haired teenager from before had crept up behind them and was rapidly writing the past events down.

"Ie data." He said, interrupting the Hyotei regulars in their rare group thinking session. They looked up at him. Shishido had a frown for the newcomer. He remembered how he and Ohtori had barely won against this man and his doubles partner in a friendly school match last year.

"Inui, what are you doing here? Didn't the Seigaku team go on a training trip?" He asked his old opponent.

The one called Inui pushed his rectangle glasses up his nose. "I needed to do some paperwork for the tennis team since Ryuuzaki-sensei is too busy training to team. I know what needs to be done. But, instead of asking about my business, would you like me to answer your question about Ryoma's anger?"

Curiosity overcame the group and they prodded him to reveal his information about the otherwise secretive Ryoma. A glint appeared on Inui's glasses.

"Ryoma Echizen. Age 14. Birthday December 24. Hair is green with black streaks. Eyes are feline shaped and golden. Favorite phrase: Made Made Dane. Favorite drink is grape ponta. Favorite type of food is Japanese. Is very possessive of her food. Owns several tennis rackets in prime condition but I have yet to see her actually play. Likes to keep to herself and stays in her room for the majority of the day. She is going to be a first year when the new school year starts. Physical and intelligence data have yet to be determined. Another interesting fact is that she shares the same name as Ryoma Echizen, the Prince of Tennis. However, I doubt that she is him since there have never been any rumors that the tennis player Ryoma Echizen is in fact a girl."

The Hyotei members were shocked at how much and how little Inui had collected on the mystery that was Ryoma. There were some interesting facts about her tastes, but nothing really informative about how she was. They were used to Inui having all the dirt on any student, whether they were in Hyotei, Seigaku, or Rikkaidai. Sometime during Inui's speech, the Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei had awakened. He was tapping his chin as a thoughtful look appeared on his face..

"Ah. Is that why Ryoma-hime punched Atobe? Cuz he ruined her favorite food and her cell phone?" Jiro asked. There was silence after he had spoken. It took a few minutes for the others to register that Jiro was awake and that he had actually suggested a reasonable explanation for Ryoma's anger. Such an explanation seemed plausible to the players and they decided that that must have been why Ryoma had acted the way she had.

Since the matter had been reasonably cleared up, the regulars decided that it was high time to leave the cafeteria since none of them were actually eating and that Atobe's complaints were drawing the attention of the cafeteria workers. That they did not want to happen. They knew how scary the workers could be when the tennis teams had a food fight last year. They were forced to clean up the whole cafeteria only in five hours and had to wear those ridiculous hair nets and serve food to their classmates for a month!

Inui, too, left the canteen as he also remembered the wrath of the workers. He had been one of the hidden instigators of the fight. As per his usual custom, Inui decided to go back to his room to create a new version of his Platinum Poiso….Perfection Drink that he wanted to perfect in time for the Seigaku regulars to try when the returned for the new school year.

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Meanwhile with Ryoma…..

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The girl was currently deep in one of Phoenix Star Academy's extravagant gardens. Well, to Ryoma, it felt more like a forest with its hanging vines, dense and massive trees, and never-ending foliage. Anyway, the angry teenager was currently hitting a tennis ball against a tree with her racket. The continuous impacts of the ball hitting the tree created a dent in the otherwise stable Oak tree. Several torn up tennis balls were on the ground near the Oak's roots, unplayable due to their condition. All that could be heard right now was the constant **Smack** **Bam** *Smack**. She trying to relieve some anger out by practicing, but against a non mobile object, she couldn't relieve herself of all of it.

Ryoma was still angry at Atobe and was not aware by the fact that the guys' had only discovered half of the reason why she was so mad. The other reason? Today was the first day of Ryoma's period. To say that she gets cranky is an understatement when describing Ryoma's attitude during her time of the month. When someone messes with her when it's that time, Kami have mercy on them. And when someone messes with her food, especially her Japanese food, during this time, Hell will seem like a prime vacation spot for them. If one truly thought about it, Atobe was lucky with only a black eye as a trophy. She could have punched the other eye as well, giving him a matching set of shiners.

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///// End of Flashback \\\\\\

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Ryoma took out her brand new phone that Atobe had given her to replace the damaged one and saw that it was nearing lunch time. _Time for another day of eating by myself_. The young teenager thought about eating in the school cafeteria but decided to eat in town instead. Before heading into town, however, Ryoma made her way to her dorm room. She changed out of her usually emerald sweater and jeans. She opted to wear her black sports shorts and blue collared shirt. For her trip into town, she decided to leave her hair down and wore one of her many hats, a black hat that had a grape ponta logo on it. The teenager decided to leave her weights showing because it wouldn't seem unusual in a big city like Tokyo. _Plus, it's not like anyone can tell how much they weigh by sight anyway._ She thought. As she was about to leave out the door, Ryoma glanced at the corner of her room and noticed her tennis racket. She debated on whether or not to bring it. The idea of just strolling around town bored Ryoma. _I guess it couldn't hurt to get some practice today. Maybe I can find some new friends to play with._

After Ryoma grabbed her racket, she locked her door. While she was double-checking to see if her things were safely secure, the tennis prodigy could hear faint music coming from the only room next to her. Her eyebrows were raised slightly. _I guess someone is finally here. It's like I've been living in a ghost town for the past two months._ Ryoma was debating whether or not to introduce herself to her neighbor, but her stomach made her decision for her by emitting a loud growl. Ryoma only sighed and walked pass her neighbor's room. Her excellent sight caught the nameplate of the room: _**Ryuuzaki Sakuno & Osakada Tomoka**_. _So I have two girls as dorm buddies. I pray to Kami that they aren't loud and girly preps._

…….An Hour Later…..

Ryoma patted her now stuffed stomach. _That hit the spot. All six hamburgers, three medium fries, and two large cokes._ The now content girl was slurping on a vanilla crème milkshake and was wondering around Tokyo. She was currently in a new part of Tokyo that she hadn't explored before. The sound of balls hitting rackets caught the attention of her sensitive ears. (**a/n: I mean that she has exceptional hearing)** Like a sailor entranced by a siren's song, Ryoma, too, followed the sound of tennis balls hitting rackets. As she climbed her way up the many steps, she noticed that there were at least a dozen or two players lounging around the court and sidelines. Ryoma also noticed that the many of them were wearing the Phoenix Star Academy blazers and that they were mainly guys. All really cute guys…._Looks like I've stumbled upon the secret hideaway of the Star tennis players. Hehehe. Let's have some fun, shall we Ryoma?_ The prodigy chuckled to herself.

It took some time for a few of the guys to notice the beauty standing next to them quietly. But when they did, both of them had the same thought: _Kawaii_! The bubble gum smacking teenager nudged his friend in the ribs. The purple haired boy only pushed up his glasses before turning to Ryoma.

"Hello. You seem new here," he said.

Ryoma looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

"This is usually where members of the Star Academy's Rikkaidai tennis players practice. I am Hiroshi Yagyuu. And you are…?" Yagyuu asked politely.

_This should be fun. _Out loud, Ryoma answered, "Ryoma. Ryoma Echizen."

The boy next to Ryoma who had yet to introduce himself almost choked on his gum. Loud choking noises could be heard from him. Quite willingly, the Gentlemen didn't mind pounding the red head on the back, albeit with loud smacks that signaled that he used more force than needed. The red head glared at his friend. Yagyuu, on the other hand, ignored the glare and had barely reacted when Ryoma had revealed her name. The red head quickly tried to catch his breath.

"You….your…..your name is RYOMA ECHIZEN," he managed to scream in a shout in the end. His shout caught the attention of the other Phoenix students standing nearby: a stern-looking teenager wearing a cap and a dark-skinned bald boy. Both men turned and look at what was happening with their friend. Slowly, but surely, they made their way to the other group. The one with the cap spoke first.

"Bunta, you know better than to shout randomly during practice. Fifteen laps around the courts," he said.

"But, Sanada fukubuchou! I didn't mean to! It's just that---" "Make that twenty laps." The one called Sanada said, interrupting the excuse that his friend was going to use.

Under his breath, the bald teenager muttered, "Poor Marui. He knows better than to try to make excuses around Sanada fukubuchou." But even though he didn't mean for anyone to hear his comment, Ryoma heard every word clearly. _So this is the Rikkaidai team. So the guy with the glasses is Hiroshi Yagyuu and the red head is Marui Bunta. The Gentleman and Volley Specialist._ _Huh, it's a good thing that Atobe likes bragging about other people. So this means that the one with the cap is the vice-captain Genichiro Sanada and this other guy is Jackal Kuwahara. I wonder where the captain is…._

Meanwhile, as Marui was doing his laps, Yagyuu informed his vice-captain about what had just happened. The skin around Sanada's forehead tightened slightly and worry lines were barely visible. _This person in front of us is clearly a girl. Honestly, Marui needs more discipline if he reacted this way. This person is not our Prince of Tennis._ He thought. A soft voice interrupted his thinking mode.

"Um. So you guys are the Rikkaidai team? Atobe has told me a lot about you guys." Ryoma said. The three males in her presence were thinking along the same lines when she asked about them: _Dear Kami. Not another fan girl! Are we going to have to find a new practice ground since this one found us? Last time a fan girl found out our practice area, we were swarmed by the others and could barely escape with our shirts on!_ Ryoma was still talking and they only managed to catch the ending of her sentence.

"----some rounds with one of you, if that's ok." She said hopefully. Her face was lit with expectancy. "Can you please repeat that?" Yagyuu asked her. Ryoma's face fell a little bit. _This girl can't be the Prince of Tennis. The Prince of Tennis is cocky punk that wouldn't care if someone wasn't listening to him talk_ they thought.

"I asked if I could borrow one of the courts and one of you and play some rounds if that's ok? I mean, I think the correct way to ask for a friendly match is by asking the captain, but I can't seem him here. So is it ok Sanada fukubuchou?" She asked again. Her face was still expectant of an answer.

Sanada sighed. _Why do the inconvenient things always happen when it's my turn to babysit the team. Honestly, Seichi has all the luck winning a raffle to go to the hot springs this weekend before school starts up again. _"Since Yukimura is not here, I'll allow a friendly match between you and anyone you want."

"Really Sanada-san?" the tennis prodigy asked in a cute voice with puppy eyes shining brightly at him. Even the Emperor wasn't immune to the stare. In fact, he turned his head slightly away from everyone as a blush appeared his cheeks. Only Yagyuu noticed it and a small smirk appeared on his face.

"Hai." "Yippee!" Ryoma slightly screamed out loud and on impulse, gave Sanada a bear hug. A shocked Sanada was let go a few moments later. An oblivious Echizen turned to Yagyuu and asked him to be her practice partner. A smirking Yagyuu who was presented with the rare sight of a stunned Sanada gladly granted her request leaving a slightly winded Marui who had just finished his laps and a concerned Jackal worrying over their vice-captain.

On the only spare court, which was farthest away from tennis court entrance and on the other side of the one where the other two Rikkaidai tennis players were playing, were Ryoma and Yagyuu. On the next court, Ryoma spied two people who met the description of the data master Renji Yanagi and the Demon player Akaya Kirihara playing an intense match. It seemed like the data master was in the lead with a score of 5-2. _Whoa. Rikkaidai doesn't hold back even when practicing, do they? _were Ryoma's internal musings. A low cough gained Ryoma's attention and she turned her gaze back at her opponent. A waiting Yagyuu was hold out his racket.

"Which?" he asked. "Smooth" was her answer. Spinning the racket and letting it go, the racket slowly slid down and the racket's letter landed upside down. It was rough and it was Yagyuu who served first. They both headed to their respective corners.

"Try not to go easy on me just cuz I'm a girl, ok?" Ryoma asked her opponent. She hated being patronized just because she didn't have a Y chromosome in her. But she didn't know that the Gentleman had barely registered her request as he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Since Yagyuu was playing against a girl and someone who he thought wouldn't be able to handle someone of their level, he only served with forty percent of his power. The over hand serve would have been considered fast for an average player, but was very slow by Rikkaidai standards. An annoyed Ryoma let the ball fly by her, allowing Yagyuu to score an ace against her. She narrowed her golden eyes. _The teme is going easy on me! I may not be the Prince of Tennis anymore, but no one looks down on Ryoma Echizen._ Ryoma went with the flow and let her opponent think that his serve was fine for her. She permitted Yagyuu to serve the ball twice more like before and acted like she could barely reach them in time but couldn't , making the score 40-Love. A ticked off Ryoma allowed Yagyuu to serve a similar serve from before, and this time, Ryoma returned the ball quick enough that the Gentleman barely registered the ball hitting his side of the court. _I'll make him run a bit. Just for a little payback_. If Ryoga or Nanjiro could see her grin now, they would have cowered in fear or behind Rinko's back. They knew that her grin signified great pain/humiliation to come.

Ryoma got into a basic stance with her racket in her right hand. Yagyuu narrowed his eyes at her before serving. _This girl is more than she is making herself out to be. Looks like I can't be going so easy on her like before. Let's see how well she does against sixty percent._

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And that's it for Chapter Four. Ryoma finally meets some of the Rikkaidai team members, and now she is playing against one?! And a still shocked Sanada is still standing on the sidelines, not paying any attention to their game. However, another person is playing close attention to Ryoma's match. Who is it? That's what chapter five is all about.

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Not really. It'll have some more good stuff too. Until next time. Bye Bye

…This was my longest chapter yet…. I think….

Updated 5/9/09

Please Review and Vote. I can handle any type of criticism, but PRAISE is liked too.


	5. Chapter 5

Dislaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Author's note: Hey guys what's up? In the next couple of weeks, my updates might be erratic and slower than usual. School's ending soon for me and graduation is coming up too. So please bear with me and enjoy the story.

This is regular conversation

_These are thoughts._

-----Last time…..-----

Ryoma finally meets some of the Rikkaidai team. She is now playing a match against Hiroshi Yagyuu. Unbeknownst to her, someone is watching on as they play the match.

====Chapter 5, The Phone Call====

The match between Yagyuu and Ryoma was going well. The Gentleman was now going at normal strength against his opponent. The game score was now 3 games to 2 with Yagyuu's lead. However, the purple-haired tennis player was suspicious about Ryoma's way of playing.

_She hasn't played any special moves like any other tennis player would have against a Rikkaidai regular. And what's even stranger is that she is only playing with basic moves and skills but her mastery over them is phenomenal. Let's see how she does with this._

Ryoma's eyes widened slightly as she saw Yagyuu take up a golfing stance. As she returned the ball to his side of the court, Yagyuu swung his racket like a golf club. The ball was sent back to Ryoma's side before she could said mada mada dane. Curiosity got the better of her and she looked at her opponent with more respect in her eyes.

_At least he's not playing around anymore._ "What move was that?" She asked him. "Laser beam." Was all he said.

Ryoma smirked. _I'll crush that technique of his._ Yagyuu saw her smile and inwardly frowned. _What is she up to?_. Ryoma once more served the ball since it was her service game. The ball rapidly made its way to the Rikkaidai player's side and Yagyuu was shocked by its speed. He was able to make it in time to return the ball though.

Meanwhile, Sanada had finally snapped out of his shock and made his way to his fellow teammate's court with Marui and Jackal following behind. A now finished Akaya and Yanagi were standing on the court's sidelines, watching the match. Yanagi was writing the game's progress in his trusty black notebook, just like another data master they know in Seigaku. Sanada, Jackal, and Marui settled in near the other two players. The vice captain spoke first.

"How did the match go?" Yanagi was the one who answered his question. "Six games to three. Akaya's speed has increased with the new training regime by 6.2% and his strength behind his shots is doubled. But his accuracy could use some work."

The subject in question grinned slightly as he heard his results. His eyes were glued to the tennis match before though. Sanada and Yanagi continued to talk.

"Make sure to add something to his training to help improve on that then." "Alright, Genichirou." A scowl appeared on Sanada's face. He was looking at Yagyuu and noticed that he was panting a bit too heavily against an opponent that he should have been finished with. _There is no reason why Yagyuu should be tired against the girl._

"Renji, what has happened during the match?" He asked the tactician of the team.

"I've only had the last two games recorded down since I had been playing against Akaya during their first few games. It seems that Yagyuu is now playing with 75% of his real strength against this girl. The girl, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be anything special. So far, I have only seen her do the basic techniques of tennis and no special skills. Yagyuu, however, has already done his laser beam at least twice."

Jackal and Marui looked shocked at the data master's summary of the match. They knew that Yagyuu was no push over even if he preferred playing doubles. Just who was this girl called Ryoma Echizen? Sanada, on the other hand, was troubled by the fact that an unknown girl was giving Yagyuu a hard time.

Kirihara was excited about the match though. _Yagyuu-senpai even gives me a hard time, and for this chick to do well against him must mean that she's strong._ He licked his lips and for a moment, his eyes flashed red. _I want to play her next. Hehehe._

-------Nearby--------

Near the entrance of the tennis courts was a person unfamiliar to the Phoenix Star students. She had long, waist length blue hair and dark blue eyes. As she scanned the area around her, her sight settled upon the person that she had been looking for. _There she is! Finally!_ The young woman made her way to the person that she had been looking for since last week. The court was empty save for her, Ryoma, and the Rikkaidai players, excluding Niou and Yukimura.

----Back to the Match----

The score was now four games to three, Yagyuu's lead. It was Ryoma's serve with the score being 40-15 in her favor. _I've finally found the weak point of the Laser Beam. I guess it was worth throwing that last game away then._ Ryoma smirked as she set up her plan to shock Yagyuu to the core when she broke his technique.

Yagyuu had just returned the ball to Ryoma when the girl quickly rallied the ball back. Yagyuu got into his stance for the Laser Beam and did his signature move on the ball. He smiled as it seemed that it would be his point again. Until Ryoma gained speed that is and struck the ball, giving it topspin and forcing it to return to Yagyuu's side. But before Yagyuu could register and maybe even attempt to make a move to return the ball, it s bounced into the ground and stayed there. The ball spun itself into the court and slowed down until it was still. All of the Rikkaidai regulars had one thought at the sight of the technique: _The ball didn't bounce!_

Ryoma smirked as she announced, "Four games to four." Before she could bask in her success or before Yagyuu could question her about that shot, a shout caught the attention of everyone there.

"RYOMA ECHIZEN! I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU!!"

The source of the shout was the young woman with blue hair. Ryoma's eyes widened as she saw who it was. She ran off the courts and gave the woman a hug.

"Nanako-neesan! What are you doing here?" She asked. Ryoma was glad to see her cousin since it had been nearly a year since they had last gotten together.

The other regulars stared at the two females before them. Yagyuu also walked off the courts and to Sanada and the others, obviously concluding that the match was, at the moment, on hold. They were talking amongst themselves while the two females talked to each other.

------Rikkaidai Conversation-----

"What was going on in that match, Yagyuu-senpai? It looked like she was giving you a hard time." Kirihara asked his teammate.

"I don't really know what was actually going on, Kirihara. For seven full games, all she used were the most basic of skills to play against me…."

"Is she the type of player who emphasizes on the basics and not the specialized techniques then?" Jackal asked his friends in general. "That's what it seems like to me."

"But then what about"-***swoosh of air*** ***pop. The bubble gum bubble bursted*** "that last technique of hers. That seems specialized to me. You know what I mean?" Marui logical said. Sanada was still silent while Yanagi also put his two cents in.

"It seems that she has successfully mastered the basics. For her to give Yagyuu a hard time when he was at 75% is quite an accomplishment. And that last move was quite the surprise. Don't you think so Genichirou?"

But before Sanada could reply, Yagyuu interrupted his vice-captain. The others looked at him, shocked because it was very rare for the one dubbed the Gentleman to cut someone off in the middle of the conversation. "I wasn't at 75 percent Renji. I was at 80 percent. It seemed like no matter how much faster or how much harder I had hit, that girl called Ryoma was able to adjust herself to my rhythm after a few rallies."

Sanada frowned, "But that is no excuse. For a random girl to give you such a hard time means that we have been slacking over the free time the school has given us." He turned to one of his oldest friends. "Renji, can you create new training regimes that will double our skills?"

"Of course, Genichirou." A reddish aura emerged from Yanagi and faint maniacal laughter could be heard. The other regulars bemoaned at the rigorous training that was going to be in store for them. Sanada just ignored the whole evil aura thing and weeping souls in the background. He looked towards where Ryoma and the woman called Nanako were talking. _Just who are you Ryoma Echizen? You share the same name as our idol, yet your playing style is completely different from the technique specialist, the Prince of Tennis._

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----Meanwhile at the same time----With Ryoma and Nanako------

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"It's been so long since I've seen you nee-chan!" Ryoma said excitedly. She was glad to hear and see a familiar face.

"Yes, and I get what? No phone calls. No emails. Nothing. I thought you loved me. Waaahh!" Nanako started to fake sob and Ryoma giggled at her obvious act. After a few minutes of just joking around, the older woman became serious, leaving Ryoma to wonder what was wrong.

"But seriously though Ryoma, you move to a new country and don't even call Rinko-san or Nanjiro-san to tell them how you are doing. They are wondered about you, you know." Nanako said to Ryoma using a tone of voice that made the girl feel a little guilty.

"I wasn't like I didn't want to. A couple of weeks ago, some Monkey King knocked my cell phone into my miso soup and it didn't work after that. I don't have anyone's numbers anymore."

"Then what about emailing someone about what happened? You didn't drop your computer into your miso soup too, did you?" The blue-haired woman said sarcastically._ Who the heck is Monkey King?_

"I forgot my password." Nanako sweatdropped when she remembered that her cousin had bad memory. _For all that she is talented in sports, music, and cooking of all things, but she can't even remember her email password. I blame this all on Nanjiro-jii-san._

"If that's the case, then why don't we go back to my place and you get everything that you may need, including your numbers and email password?" Ryoma jumped up and down in excitement.

_I can finally talk to aniki and kaa-san…and maybe Oyaji if he isn't being stupid. _"Let's go, nee-chan!" Ryoma started to tug on her cousin's arm and tried to lead her off the court. With her bad memory, she forgot all about the match at hand.

Sanada noticed that Ryoma was tugging her friend away. Before he could even register what he was doing, he reached out and caught Ryoma's shoulder.

Ryoma looked up in surprise to see an equally shocked Sanada gripping her shoulder. The tennis prodigy glanced at his hand and raised her eyebrow. The other tennis players were also flabbergasted at their vice-captain's spontaneous reaction. A madly blushing Sanada quickly let go of the girl's shoulder.

_Why the heck did I just grab her shoulder like that?...What's wrong with me today. Ack… I'm even talking to myself!_ Shaking his head back and forth like a dog shaking water off his body, Sanada tried to calm himself down. Ryoma was looking bemused and waited for him to tell her what he wanted.

"You….you.." Sanada's voice cracked a bit. He coughed to get his voice under control. Marui and Kirihara were staring at their fukubuchou amazed for they had never seen him act this way before. Yagyuu and Jackal were staring at the scene with interest, and like always, Yanagi was furiously writing down what was going on.

"Can I help you, Sanada? Or do you randomly grab people's shoulders?" Ryoma said with a hint of amusement. Nanako was standing quiet by her side. Sanada gave one last cough before speaking again.

"You still have a match with Yagyuu." Ryoma's eyes widened when she remembered that she had been playing a tennis match with her new friend before her cousin had arrived. The girl turned to her opponent.

"I'm so sorry Yagyuu-san. But we can take a rain check on the game? It's been over a year since I've seen Nanako-neechan, and there are some important things that I need to get from her? Pleeeeaaassseeee!!" Ryoma asked the Gentleman. She activated her puppy dog eyes and gave a small pout as she waited for his answer.

_Kawaii!_ The boys thought, including Yanagi and Sanada. _Looks like Ryoma can still turn on the charm when she wants to._ Nanako chuckled silently to herself. True to his nickname, the Gentleman assured Ryoma that it would be no problem for them to continue their game at another time. Like with Sanada, Ryoma was overcome with joy and gave the purple-haired a hug. The others Rikkaidai tennis players looked on with feelings ranging from jealousy, amusement, interest, envy, and surprisingly, anger. Sanada gave a loud cough, interrupting the moment. Yagyuu jumped away from the girl when he noticed the angry scowl on his fukubuchous's face, and stored the information for review later. Ryoma just grabbed her cousin's hand and started to walk away before turning around one last time.

"It was nice meeting all of you! See you again, Yagyuu, Jackal, Marui, Kirihara, Yanagi, and Sanada-fukubuchou!!" Ryoma shouted before tugging her cousin away. The tennis players could only wave back at her. Different thoughts were running through each of them.

_**Sanada**__ Why did I get so angry when Ryoma hugged Yagyuu? Am I running a fever today or something? Maybe I shouldn't have had that extra bowl of rice this morning._

_**Kirihara**__ That girl was strong, Hehehe.. I can't wait to go against her! But lucky Yagyuu-senpai! He got a hug from her._

_**Jackal**__ I wonder who that girl was. She seems she take her fair share of anything. Yukimura-buchou should have been here to see Sanada-fukubuchou's face! I can't believe the Emperor blushed._

_**Marui **__Ack! Lucky Hiroshi! I wanted a hug too. That punk._

_**Yagyuu**__ I wonder why Sanada scowled at me when she hugged me… Could it be that he likes her?....It seems like things are going to be hectic in the future._

_**Yanagi**__ That girl named Ryoma Echizen…How did she know our names? And where did she learn to play tennis. It seems like I'll have to be doing a little research on our newest friend…..And what was that last move called?_

While the Rikkaidai players were lost in the midst of their own thoughts, another bystander was also thinking to himself. _It seems like things are going to be interesting this school year._ And the figure chuckled to himself as he walked off in silence.

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---------FRANCE, Two days later-------

The men in the association were cowering in fear as their boss's heir was stalking the halls, his displease at something was easy to see. The women in the household were making sure to stay clear out of the young master's way after he totally humiliated one of their own over a simple matter of pouring tea for the afternoon meal. Even the male's own parents were wary of setting their child off. His own brother, however, felt no qualms about provoking his older brother.

"Hey, bro! How come you've been so cranky these past few months?" The child of seven asked.

Leo just ignored his little brother as he continued to eat dinner. Small hushing noises from the adults could be heard as they were trying to quiet the child before their young master exploded on them. It wasn't working.

"How come you won't talk to me, Leo? I didn't do nothing bad today." the child complained in a small whining voice. A dark and black aura was starting to come off of the teenager called Leo. He looked up at the group before him with his ice cold silver eyes.

"I'm in no mood for your childish games, Toya." Leo growled at him. Nearby, a distinguiseehd man looked up at the siblings. Leo's father, Tyler, was the head of one of the most powerful yakuza/gangs in France. His very name elicited fear and respect alike out of his enemies and his admirers. Yet, this great man had a great weakness. He was scared of his oldest son when he snapped. And it seemed like that time was approaching.

"Now, Toya, leave your older brother alone. He's, uh, not in the mood right now to play with you." Tyler tried to tell his youngest. Mai, the mother of Leo and Toya, was fretting and didn't want her son scarred for life if Leo were to go all out on her youngest. Oh, she knew that Leo would never hurt Toya physically, but with that scathing wit and tongue of his, even her own husband's business rivals were scared of her child. _If only we knew what happened to Ryoma. He only gets like this when they usually have a falling out or something. But…that's a taboo subject right now._ Mai sighed as she watched the exchange before her.

"But, but…. Leo said he would play with me if I was good and I was good today," the young child whimpered out. His bottom lip was jutting out and his eyes were starting to mist up.

Leo Yama wasn't in the mood for appeasing anyone today. Nor had he been in the mood for two months since Ryoma's disappearance. The seven closest men and women to the Yama leaders waiting with bated breaths and silently gave a prayer for their leader's youngest. Today was unfortunately the weekly dinner meeting for them. The atmosphere was tense. But none of them dared to go up against the heir because his wit wasn't the only thing that was strong. He could seriously beat them all without breaking a sweat.

The black haired teenager growled at his younger brother, "Look, you little brat. I said that I am not in the mood to play with you right now. SO why DON'T you stop BEING a CRYBABY and eat your food? Or are you going to go crying mom and dad?" Tyler and Mai gasped at the mean tone that their eldest had used on a child of seven.

Toya's eyes went wide and tears were streaming down his face. His bottom lip was quivering at an astonishing speed. His little body started to shake. The other adults around the table felt so sorry for the young child. They couldn't believe that his own older brother would treat him like that.

"I'mm….I'mmm..I'm telling!!" Toya cried out. Big drops of tears were falling out of his eyes. "Who are you going to run to? Mom and Dad? Ooooh, the big baby is going to tell on me," Leo snapped out. He was over the edge with anger.

Toya stood up and started to the other side of the room. He was wailing on the top of his lungs and cried out, "I'M…….I'MMM….TELLING….TELLINNG ON YOU ….I'M TELLING RYOMA-NEECHAN!!!!" and made his way to the telephone.

Leo was shaking with anger. His brother knows better than to be joking around like that. The other adults, including Tyler and Mai, were holding their breaths. Everyone knew that Leo was in a bad mood because he didn't know or haven't heard from Ryoma about what was going on with her. Toya had spoke of the taboo subject and the yakuza men and women were worried for the child. They actually thought Leo might do harm to him with the way his eyes were glinting and the way his fist shook as he stood up as well. This time, the adults also stood up and slowly edged their way into a semi-circle around Leo to block his way to his younger brother. Toya had already dialed the phone and was crying his heart out.

Little Toya had accidentally dialed the number with the speakerphone on and ringing could be heard on the other line. Finally a female's voice, who was _definitely_ _not_ Ryoma, answered.

"Moshi moshi?" the woman asked. The woman on the other line was worried when she heard the loud crying on the other end. "Are you ok? Did something happen to you? Where are your parents, child?" She asked worriedly.

"I….I…WANT TO TALK TO RYOMA-NEECHAN!!!" Toya cried out and loud crying could be heard. A loud clatter that sounded like a phone being dropped down onto the table could be heard by the Yama group. Leo was slowly making his way to his younger brother. The other adults eyed him warily.

Finally, a girl's voice could be heard on the other line, "Hello? Who is this?"

The teenager and adults stood shocked after hearing the familiar voice. Toya, however, bawled his eyes out and cried to the person on the other line. "Ryoma-neechan. Leo called me a crybaby… and….and... he…" Toya couldn't continue as he was crying too hard for his words to make sense.

"Toya, is that you? Baby, don't cry. I'm sure that Leo didn't mean to call you a crybaby right?" Ryoma tried to calm the little kid. Her soft voice was calming the child's nerves and now he was only sniffling and rubbing his eyes.

"But, he called me a crybaby twice, Ryoma-neechan. And I wasn't even bad today." Toya told the one who he considered to be his big sister even though they weren't really related.

Silence. Then Ryoma spoke in a sugary voice that the adults and Leo recognized as dangerous. "Is Leo there right now, Toya?" "Yes!" "Let me talk to him. Don't cry anymore. Big sister will take care of this ok?" Ryoma told the seven year old. Toya was more than glad for Ryoma to talk to his big brother. He said in a really loud voice "Leo!!!! Ryoma wants to talk to you!!!"

Leo was sweating bullets. He was glad that he could finally talk to Ryoma, but was scared to do so at this time. The other adults changed their looks of fear to pity as they stared at their young master. If there was one person who they knew could make their powerful master shake in fear, it was one young lady named….

"Hello, Ryoma. It's been a long time right? How have you been?" Leo asked, trying to forestall the inevitable.

"Take me off of speakerphone. Now." Ryoma ordered in a low, cool voice.

With a shaking finger, Leo turned the speakerphone off and picked up the handle.

Every few seconds, the adults could see Leo flinch and could hear almost nothing of the conversation. Leo looked like he was about to pass out in shock. Sweat was falling down his head as he tried to interrupt the Ryoma on the other line, but flinched when she yelled at him. The instigator of Leo's discomfort was just finishing his food as he knew that his big sister would make his older brother all better and nicer like he used to be.

Tyler was staring at his son with pity. _Son, I know your pain. Your mother can scare even a vampire out of his wits. And Ryoma is even scarier than your mother. I truly do feel sorry for you. But you shouldn't have made your brother cry like that._ Mai, on the other hand, was very happy to see her oldest flinching and shaking under Ryoma's verbal assault. _Now that he's talking to Ryoma, he will be in a better mood now. But I must admit, it is good to make him see that bullying his younger brother is not a good thing. Go Ryoma!!!_

After about a half hour on the phone, Leo hung up. He turned and a look of fright was on his face. It was so rare a sight for anyone to see that they, too, were scared. Just because it took a lot to scare their young master, and for Ryoma do so when she wasn't even in the same household, was quite an astonishing feat. Leo slowly made his way back to his seat and collapsed on shaky legs. He turned to his now calm younger brother.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and calling you a crybaby. I was in a bad mood, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Leo said apologetically to Toya. After a few moments of consideration, Toya forgave him. But Leo wasn't done. "As an apology, why don't I take you out to the park this Saturday and we go to the zoo afterwards? You have to call Ryoma back and tell her that I apologized and am taking you to the park ok? You have to!!"

Leo was looking a bit desperate. Toya only smiled and agreed to call Ryoma later. Then he got up from him seat.

Toya jumped on his older brother, all memory of the past hour forgotten. Leo hugged his sibling and smiled. The other adults were also smiling as they headed out the room, save Tyler and Mai. The Yama Seven hurried about the compound and passed the news around that the young master was now out of his bad mood. Minutes later, breaths of relief could be heard throughout the estate.

As Tyler and Mai looked at their children in relief, similar thoughts were going through their minds: _What did Ryoma say to our Leo that made him scared like that? If we had her here with us all the time, then think about how the Yama Group could grow! Ryoma would make such a nice daughter-in-law. _And such thoughts were filling up fast in the parents' minds.

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-------Meanwhile in JAPAN-------

Ryoma had hung up her cell and made her goodbyes to Nanako. They had decided to meet at a café today to talk about her cover. It was decided that while Rinko and Nanjiro were still in the states, Nanako would act like her guardian. After saying their goodbyes, Ryoma and Nanako headed their separate ways. The young tennis prodigy spied a music store on the next street over.

Making her way across the street, Ryoma finally entered the music store. It was quite nicely set up and had a cozy, yet professional atmosphere to hit. Ryoma had been meaning to buy a new case for her violin and headed for the violin aisle. As she was perusing the cases, she finally spotted one that suited her nicely. Her hand reached out to grab the case. Two other hands collided with hers. Ryoma looked up and saw their faces.

"You!" she said out loud, pointing at the two people before her.

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Chapter 5 is officially done!!! I think I did pretty well this time, don't you think? _And_ I finished it in good time. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

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Who were the other two people reaching for the case? Does Ryoma know them??? Who are they and what's going to happen next? Wait for Chapter Six find out!!

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And now, some of Leo's background is found out, and it turns out that Ryoma scares the crap out of him…. But does he like her??? Who knows….hehehe

Please review!! Criticism and praise are wanted.

Thanks **animeaddict15** for the correction of made made dane to mada mada dane. If I mess up on anything, please feel free and correct me!!! I like things to be accurate.

Thanks to all those that reviewed!!! It was really nice reading the comments!!!

Updated 5/10/09


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or Ryoma, the cute little devil that he is. (Just joking about that second part…. 8P )

This regular conversation

_These are thoughts_.

Author's note: I updated so quickly last time with my longest chapter yet! I hope I can make this one just as long. Yay! I hit pass the 50 review marker!! Yippee!

=========Chapter 6: Hi, My name is…==========

"You!" she said out loud, pointing at the two people in front of her.

Both guys raised an eyebrow at her. Each was in their respective colors for their tennis teams. Oshitari was in his grey and white tennis uniform. Yagyuu was decked out in the Rikkaidai yellow and black tennis outfit. The only physical similarities between the two men were that they were handsome, wore glasses, played tennis (obviously), and had the school's mascot, the Phoenix, sewed on the front pocket of their shirts.

"Hello, Ryoma. I didn't know that you played the violin." Oshitari said to the girl. He turned his head to Yagyuu. "It's been a while, Yagyuu."

"It has been a few weeks since we last met, Oshitari. But, I didn't know that you knew Ryoma. After all, we do run in the same circles." Yagyuu questioned his rival tennis player. Both men were ignoring the fact that said subject was standing beside them, getting angry at being ignored.

"Oh, I met Ryoma when she first came to Japan. She is going to be attending the Academy with us." He said. "But I didn't know that she knew you, Hiroshi. Ryoma had said that this was her first time being in Japan."

"When the Rikkaidai players had came back from their trip, we decided to head for our usual hang out. We had been practicing when Ryoma had come upon us for a friendly match. Imagine our surprise when she told us her name." the purple haired male chuckled. Ryoma was tapping her foot, waiting for either boy to notice that she was getting aggravated.

"I can imagine very well how you guys reacted. We were pretty shocked when we found out her name as well. So how did she play against you? Did it last very long? Five minutes? Ten?" Oshitari guessed.

"Well, we had played for about thirty minutes and the score ended being four games all before Ryoma had to leave suddenly." The Gentleman said casually. Oshitari sputtered out loud.

"What?! You had a hard time against her? I mean, the others and I have seen her with a tennis racket before, but we never see her practice or do work outs. Are you toying with me Hiroshi?" The tensai of Hyotei said and eyed his friend suspiciously.

Yagyuu chuckled at his evident doubt. "How do you think I felt when she played just using the basics for almost eight games straight and does only one special move that I have no idea to counter, even now?"

"What? Was it something like Momoshiro's Super Dunk Smash, Atobe's Tannheusuer serve, or even Sanada's Invisible Serve?" the Hyotei player questioned.

"No. It seemed like a normal return, albeit faster than she had been hitting before. The ball spun itself into the ground and didn't bounce. It just spun and stopped in that one spot. I'm telling you Yuushi. That girl could probably rival Sanada or even Yukimura-buchou if she was more skilled."

Both tennis players stood quiet for a moment as they processed the data collected during their talk. Then, as if struck by lightning, they realized that they had the subject at hand to talk to.

Oshitari turned to where Ryoma was standing and said, "Ryoma, I didn't know that you….could…play…"

The Hyotei player's words stumbled to a stop. Ryoma was no longer standing where she had been earlier. Yagyuu, too, was surprised to see her gone.

"When did she leave?" he asked his friend.

"I don't know, but I wonder what she was doing here in the first place?" Yuushi asked.

"It seemed that she was getting a violin case. Ah!" The purple-haired boy remembered something. "That reminds me. I need a new case. The one I like is right….here?"

Yagyuu stared at the empty space where the case that he was going to get was at earlier. The violin case was now gone. Oshitari raised a brow. "I was going to get that same case. You don't think that she….?" His question trailed off as both he and Yagyuu quickly made their way to the register. They slammed their hands on the counter and glared at the poor cashier before them.

"Can…Can I help …. You…you…two sirs?" the cashier asked nervously. The two men were intimidating with their impressive air of sophistication.

"There was a girl in here earlier. With greenish hair and golden eyes. Did she buy anything?" The tensai asked the cashier in a rough voice.

"Hai!" he responded in a squeaky voice. "What did she buy?" Yagyuu said in a cool tone of voice.

"Um… that girl bought the black Sinatra Violin case number 21. It has waterproof and scratchproof durability. It has a life span of five years and can protect the instrument inside even if it is dropped three miles from the air and run over by a loaded eighteen wheeler. It is one of the best cases on the line." The poor cashier rambled out at mach speed. The two men were starting to scare him even more with their fierce scowls. The two tennis players looked at each other before simultaneously asking the cashier "Do you have any left?"

The cashier did not want to answer their question. But each second turned the atmosphere tenser. "Ei. That was the last one and that girl had bought it. There won't be another available on for the next six months."

"KUSO!!!" Both players shouted out loud. The cashier slowly made his departure from the counter and hid behind his desk. _That girl took the last one!!! RAWR!!! _The two tennis teenagers thought angrily.

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---------Meanwhile with Ryoma------------

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_Damn jerks. Ignoring me and talking about me as if I wasn't there. **Grumble** But at least I got my new case._ Ryoma smiled happily and patted her new purchase. She was skipping her way back to the dorm. She was softly humming to herself as she made her way up the stairs and finally onto her floor level. As she was walking to her room, she noticed a girl standing outside her room. _She's wearing the school uniform… could she be Tomoka or Sakuno? Her braids look cute on her._ Ryoma made her way silently behind the girl.

"Boo." She whispered in the girl's ear. "EEK!!" the girl with braids yelped out loud. She turned around and saw Ryoma laughing quietly.

"I'm sorry. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I'm Ryoma Echizen, by that way, and you're standing in front of my door. Can I get in?" Ryoma asked the girl goodheartedly.

Her neighbor blushed madly. "I'm sorry." Ryoma chuckled as she opened her door. "Want to come in? I haven't seen any people on the floor since I first moved here a few months ago."

"I'm Sakuno Ryuuzaki. Ano…this is the first year floor and school starts next week. That's probably why you haven't seen anyone around." Sakuno explained as she walked into the room.

Over the months, Ryoma had added her own touch to her room. The walls were painted a soft white and green curtains were hanging from the windows. The blinds were still in place, closed for the moment. Besides the black silk-covered full size bed, computer desk, and two cabinets, Ryoma had added a small table and several cushions in the corner of her room. On the walls were different posters of well-known classical musicians was well as a poster of a giant grape ponta. Sakuno noticed that there were no pictures of Ryoma or of her family anywhere around the room.

Sakuno was surprised when Ryoma opened her spacious closet. On one side were at least five tennis rackets, several containers of tennis balls, and different lead blocks. On the other side were violin equipment, said violin, and the new case that Ryoma had just bought. In the center of the closet was a small mini-fridge. The green haired girl opened the fridge door and asked her guest if she wanted a drink. Her guest declined and Ryoma closed the door without taking a drink for herself. They both settled onto a cushion around the table. As Sakuno got more comfortable, she spied a bookshelf near the door that had books and DVDs ranging from the usual school subjects to in depth tennis, violin, and piano catalogues. There were also many books on cooking as well, some of which Sakuno had also read in the past.

"Ano. Do you play tennis or the violin, Ryoma?" Sakuno asked, breaking the ice.

"Yeah, but I'm concentrating more on my musical skills. Tennis is more like a hobby right now for me," the former tennis prodigy said.

"But how did you end up here then? This is the dorm known for its tennis players."

"I'm a transfer and this dorm had to only available room left. Believe me, if I could, I would have been switched if only to get away from Monkey King."

_Monkey King? There's a new student called Monkey King here?_ "Ano, Who's Monkey King? Is he a first year like us?" Sakuno asked curiously.

Ryoma gave a soft laugh. "Oh. Sorry about that. Monkey King is the name of Atobe Keigo, captain of the Hyotei team. He's been bugging me ever since we've met." Ryoma rolled her eyes. "He keeps reciting poetry every time he sees me. It was funny at first, but now I can't get him to stop. **Sigh**"

Sakuno giggled at her new friend's reaction. Before she could say another word, however, the door to Ryoma's room banged open and a girl around their age with two bushy pigtails made her way into the room.

"Sakuno!! You said that you were going to bring our new neighbor over!!!" The girl said loudly. "It's been over five minutes now!!!"

Sakuno could only sigh at her roommate's impatience. "Ryoma, this is Tomoka Osakada. We've been friends since we were in diapers. We're your new neighbors. Tomoka, meet Ryoma Echizen"

"NICE TO MEET YOU RYOMA!!" Tomoka said in a very loud and high-pitched voice. She stuck out her hand.

Ryoma was still like a stone. She couldn't believe it. Her new neighbor was one of those people! _Sakuno seems really nice and seems to be a normal person. I wouldn't mind having a neighbor like her. But she….she is so loud!!! Tomoka is like one of those annoying fan girls I had back in the states. Oh, Kami… what did I do t deserve this???_

Ryoma had been thinking to herself and hadn't noticed the hand Tomoka had stuck out until Sakuno gave a slight cough. The prodigy gave a slight jerk as she was brought back to reality. Plastering a smile on her face, Ryoma, too, told Tomoka that it was a pleasure to meet her acquaintance. Sakuno smiled softly as she watched the exchange between her two friends. _I'm glad Ryoma is our neighbor. She seems like she can stand Tomoka's, errr…, energetic attitude._

The three girls continued to talk together and shared their past with one another. They only stopped when it was time for dinner. As Sakuno and Tomoka made their way to the canteen, Ryoma only closed her door gently and lay on her bed. It had been a long day for her and she had already eaten. Before she closed her eyes to go asleep, one last thought crossed her mind: _I finally have friends. Just regular people who I can joke around with…._

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-------------------Time Skip, About One Week Later, A Day before School starts.------------------

A teacher aide had found the wandering Ryoma pacing the corridors of the school. The aide was slightly out of breath and her hair was a bit messed up after she had spent the last hour trying to Ryoma. The halls and campus were filled with new and returning students trying to get themselves familiar with the school.

The aide only found Ryoma because she had heard some of the male students talking about a green haired beauty walking down the Biology hall. _Could they mean Ms. Echizen?_ The aide thought and decided to go with her gut. Sure enough, the green-haired beauty known as Ryoma Echizen was strolling in the corridor without a care in the world, ignoring the admiring looks of the boys in the hall The aide stumbled in front of the surprised Ryoma.

"Ms. Echizen, I've been looking all over for you!" the aide, Ms. Ayame, said in short breaths. "You are wanted in the main office. The head of the student coordinator division wants to talk to you."

Ryoma lifted her eyebrow at the news. _School hasn't even started yet. There hasn't been enough time for me to even to do anything wrong. Dammit. _Ryoma only nodded that she heard the news. With her task done, Ayame left to finish her other chores. A sighing Ryoma made her way to the main office. After a few minutes, she was outside the door of the head of the student coordinator division or SCD for short. As she was about to open the door, the door was opened from the inside and the person who opened the door walked outside...and crashed into Ryoma. They both fell down and the boy had landed on top of a squirming Ryoma. Hastily, the other student got off of the girl. His face was bright red from embarrassment.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't see you at first." The boy said. "I really am."

Ryoma dusted off her paints and sighed audibly, "It's no problem. It was an accident. I should have given you a warning I guess."

From inside the office room, a man in his late fifties sat at his mahogany desk. His booming voice was heard even across the room. He had seen what had just happened.

"Oishi! That's enough. She knows that you're sorry. Now let go of her hand before you crush it."

The boy called Oishi looked down and saw that he was indeed shaking Ryoma's hand in a tight grip. He let go of it quickly. Ryoma rubbed her right hand with her left, trying to get the feeling back into it.

"Ah! I'm really sorry. As an apology, if you ever need anything, just ask for Shuichiro Oishi! Ack!" Oishi said when he noticed the time on the clock on the secretary's desk. He took off running. "I have a meeting with Tezuka right now, so I'll see you around." He stopped suddenly and ran back to Ryoma. "What's your name, again?"

A surprised Ryoma could only say, "Ryoma Echizen."

Oishi repeated the name to himself quietly and took off running to where he was supposed to meet Tezuka to talk about the upcoming schedule. A still shocked Ryoma was standing outside the office until the head, Mr. Yamato, called her inside. Ryoma shook her head to clear herself of the confusion she was experiencing and made her way into the office. She closed the door behind her when Mr. Yamato had asked her to. The prodigy sat in the leather chair in front of the desk. It was still warm from when Oishi had been in it earlier.

"I bet you are wondering why you were called her, Ms. Echizen."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, we've finally have your test results from the transfer placement test. We checked it not once, not twice, but three times to be sure by different people. And there is a slight problem."

A small quiver of alarm passed through Ryoma's body. _I couldn't have failed them all!_ Ryoma asked hesitantly, "Which ….which ones did I fail?" She waited with a bated breath.

Mr. Yamato looked up from his paperwork, surprised at Ryoma's question. Then he smiled to put Ryoma at ease.

"On the contrary my dear child, you scored perfectly on all the tests. You should be proud of yourself." Ryoma gave let out her breath. Mr. Yamato waited a bit before continuing on.

"The problem is that you did so well, it wouldn't be fair to you to attend the freshmen level maths, English, Japanese history, and sciences. However, you'll still be in some first year classes because they are standard at this school. If you don't mind, I have a new schedule printed out for you right here."

A relieved Ryoma grabbed the sheet from Mr. Yamato looked at her new schedule for the year.

**Monday-** 1st: English 3-A. 2nd : Physical Education 1-A. Lunch. 3rd : Chemistry 2-A. 4th Math 3-A, 5th Japanese History 3-A

**Tuesday-** 1st: English 3-A. 2nd: Home Ec. 1-A. Lunch. 3rd: Chemistry-3-A. 4th: Math 3-A. 5th: Japanese History 3-A.

**Wednesday- **1st: English 3-A. 2nd: Physical Education 1-A. Lunch. 3rd: Chemistry 2-A. 4th: Math 3-A. 5th Japanese History 3-A.

**Thursday- **1st: English 3-A. 2nd: Home Ec. 1-A. Lunch. 3rd: Chemistry 2-A. 4th: Math 3-A. 5th: Jap. History 3-A

**Friday-** 1st: English 3-A. 2nd: Physical Education 1-A. Lunch. 3rd: Chemistry 2-A. 4th: Math. 5th: Japanese History 3-A.

Ryoma finished scanning the new schedule that she had received. It seemed like most of her major class would be with the older students. _It seems like the extra classes will be with people my own age__**. **_The girl folded the schedule and put it into her pocket. It seemed like Mr. Yamato had forgotten all about her as he seemed totally concentrated on his paperwork. Ryoma gave him a bow and was headed out the door when he spoke up one last time.

"Ryoma, don't forget! You have to join at least one club!"

With that, Ryoma closed the door on him. Her face was set in a thoughtful pose. _I forgot all about club activities. I wonder what clubs are being offered Guess I'll find out in homeroom tomorrow._ Ryoma went about her business and decided to worry about clubs when school officially started.

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---------In another part of the school, near the tennis courts----------

"What's wrong, Oishi? You seem more nervous than usual." The soft gold mixed with brown haired bespectacled teenager asked his friend. Said friend had started to pace after they had finished deciding on the Seigaku tennis schedule for club openings that were going to be held during the entire week.

"Tezuka, I ran into a girl and bumped her into the ground when I had left Yamato's office. I'm worried that I may have injured or hurt her. Oh no, what if she can't attend school tomorrow!!??" Oishi started to panic until Tezuka raised his hand to stop his motherly rambling.

"Stop it Oishi. I'm sure she's fine. Did you find out her name at least or apologize?" The Seigaku captain asked his right hand man.

"Yes. I apologized. I didn't recognize her so I think she's a first year. I can't remember her name…. It started with an R. Rika. Riyo. Ryo… Ah! Her name, she said, was Ryoma. Ryoma Echizen……. (wait for it)….…NANI!!!" Oishi cried out as he realized what he had just said. Tezuka pinched the skin between his eyes. He could feel a migraine coming. He took a deep breath.

"Oishi. It was a girl you bumped into. A GIRL!… Not Ryoma Echizen, Prince of Tennis, who is a boy like us, but a girl. It is quite possible for people to have the same name you know." Tezuka reasoned with his teammate and old friend. The pacing Oishi stopped and he, too, considered the facts. A sheepish grin covered the bottom of his face as he rubbed the back of his head

"Sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking things through. I think I need to catch some more sleep after that training trip we just went through."

Tezuka could only sigh as he stared at his best friend. His own thoughts were in turmoil. _Sigh. Where are you, Ryoma Echizen? Why did you leave us?_

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--------------------The First Day of School-----------------------

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Ryoma woke up earlier than she had planned. School was starting at 8:00, and she had set her alarm for 7:15, but her excitement about starting at a new place made her wake up around 6:30. _I guess there's nothing left to do but wake up. It wouldn't be worth it to go back to sleep anyway. _A wide-awake Ryoma did her usual business in her personal bathroom. _I guess I could get some exercise in and practice my swings a bit. _The prodigy girl then proceeded to do seventy sit-ups, fifty jumping jacks, and one hundred racket swings for both her arms. Afterwards, Ryoma cleaned up her room a bit and took a shower to get her blood going. After making her bed and getting her school supplies ready, the time was now 7:15.

A loud voice could be heard on the other side of the wall. Ryoma thought that she could make out Tomoka's voice. _Maybe I can walk down with them today. **Giggle** I wonder how long it's been since I walked to school with someone besides Ryoga or Kevin and not have reporters hound me? Three? Four years?_ A relaxed Ryoma grabbed her things and headed next door.

As she was about to knock, Tomoka and Sakuno was also heading out their room. They greeted each other and walked side by side. When then got the elevator, Sakuno and Tomoka stopped while Ryoma had continued to keep on walking towards the stairs.

"Um ,Ryoma? Are you really going to take the stairs?" Sakuno asked her friend.

A sheepish Ryoma scratched her right cheek. "Sorry. I guess it was habit. I usually take the stairs."

A horrified Tomoka gasped. She couldn't believe what Ryoma had just said, "YOU TAKE THE STAIRS EVERY SINGLE DAY!!" Sakuno tried to hush her. She lowered her voice. "We're on the fourth floor! Don't you get tired?"

Before Ryoma could respond, Tomoka grabbed Ryoma's arm and pulled her into the elevator with her and Sakuno. The doors closed and Ryoma was trapped in the moving elevator. The elevator went down each floor. Something was bugging Ryoma though.

"How come no one else on the other floors is getting on?"

Sakuno was the one who answered her question. "This dorm has four elevators. This elevator is the one that the first years usually use. The older senpais have their own cuz of their club schedule and stuff."

"Oh." Was the only thing that Ryoma could think of saying. More silence filled the elevator until Tomoka opened her mouth again. "So what classes do you have Ryoma? Me and Sakuno have the same schedule."

Ryoma only took out her folded schedule and compared it to Tomoka's. Sakuno, too, leaned forward to look at the schedules. Tomoka was very surprised that Ryoma had the higher level courses. "Sugoi! Ryoma, you must be a genius or something!!!!"

Ryoma chuckled sheepishly. "Not really. It's just that in America, they teach a lot more at a faster pace. Plus, my mom used to tutor me at home too." Tomoka laughed at her explanation.

But a disappointed Sakuno voiced her thoughts. "But we don't have any classes together except for second hour. I suck at physical education."

Tomoka tried to cheer up her friend. Ryoma was confused at her new pal's sadness. Tomoka explained to Ryoma that even though Sakuno was really good in the kitchen, she was abysmal at sports. "I'm the opposite! I rock at sports, but suck at cooking. I'm even thinking about joining one of the tennis teams here. What about you Ryoma?"

"Eto. I'm good at cooking cuz my mom insisted that I learn some womanly skills. She gives me these pop cooking quizzes and stuff. As for sports, I'm decent enough, but I'm not really interested in playing anything right now. I do want to concentrate more on my music, so maybe I'll join the music club if they have it. What about you Sakuno?" Ryoma asked her. Sakuno looked up, her sad mood was dissipating.

"I like photography, so I might join that club instead. Cooking is a hobby of mine so I think I might join the culinary club as well. I'm not sure."

Before they could say anything else, the elevator has finally stopped and they were now on the ground level. The now good friends made their way to a table in the cafeteria. When they noticed what time it was, they rushed to eat their food and make their way to their respective classes: English 3-A and English 1-A. Ryoma felt nervous as she was about to start her first day of school. Ryoma could see that many of the students that were going into her new classroom were much taller than her and some had a dignified air to them.

The tennis prodigy quietly made her way through the back door of the room and made her way to the last desk nearest to the window. She kept her head down and stayed quiet. Most of the class was talking to each other because they had been to school together for many years. Ryoma was gazing outside and ignoring her classmates, not noticing any of them. She felt a little sad being the oddball of the group. Ryoma heard the chairs scrape against the floor of the desks nearest to her, but still didn't look around. Finally the bell rung and the teacher came in, calling the class to order. Everyone quieted down.

The sensei introduced herself as Ms. Terri Luke. But students could call her Luke-sensei. As she read her attendance list to herself, she noticed many familiar names until she spotted the last one: **Ryoma** **Echizen**, **First** **Year**. Luke-sensei read the short bio of the girl and smiled to herself. She called the class to attention.

"Most of you probably know each other already, I'm sure. I hope that this school year will be a fun one and that we all get along." Many of the male students cheered at her comment. Luke waited for them to calm down before continuing. "But there is one new student here. She is a first year who transferred from the States. Ms. Echizen, please come here and introduce yourself."

Ryoma made her way slowly down the aisle and to the front of the classroom. She bowed her head. "I'm Ryoma Echizen. Pleasure to meet you." Then she made her way back to her seat, looking at her fellow classmates at the same time. She was surprised to see some familiar faces.

Luke-sensei sweatdropped at the short intro and asked the class to introduce themselves. (**a/n: I'm just going to name the tennis players in her class.)** Tezuka, Oishi, Fuji, Atobe, Oshitari, Jiro, Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, and Yagyuu were also in Ryoma's class. Not that she recognized Yukimura, Tezuka, or Fuji by appearance. The others, especially Atobe, were surprised to see her.

Oshitari raised his hand, "Luke-sensei, I don't understand. Why is Ryoma in our class if she is a first year?"

"Excellent question, Yuushi! Ryoma is the only student in the last five years to score perfectly on all of her test exams. So naturally, we put her in the higher level classes to give her more of a challenge."

Atobe was excited to see his hime. "Ore-sama knew that he would see you again, Ryoma-hime! Ore-sama is now able to see you everyday. Oh the joy!"

A twitching Ryoma glared at Atobe, "Oy, Monkey King. Stop calling me Ryoma-hime." Under her breath she muttered, "Baka."

Atobe clutched his heart and fell back dramatically into his seat. The class laughed at his expression. The boy in front and the boy on the side of Ryoma turned to her and introduced themselves.

The boy on the side introduced himself, "I'm Seichi Yukimura, captain of the Rikkaidai tennis team. The one in front of you is Shusuke Fuji. He also plays tennis but for Seigaku. I hope you enjoy Star Academy, Ryoma-hime."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryoma-hime. Let's hope that this year is a fun one." A smiling tensai told the girl.

Ryoma only nodded at them. Inwardly she was on a rampage. _Stupid Monkey King!! Now I'm getting called Ryoma-hime. Of all the nicknames for them to give me….Arg! _ Ryoma's and everyone else's attention was caught by the teacher. They quieted down once again. Luke-sensei cleared her throat before continuing.

"I know this may seem a bit junior high-ish, but I want everyone to write me a short essay about themselves. Essays can be about your likes, dislikes, what sports you play, favorite foods, basic information, etc. I want them turned in this Friday. That gives you a week to do it."

Many of the students groaned at the basic assignment. Some were ticked that they had to do such a kiddy assignment. Grumbling could be heard amongst many of the regular students. An angry vein popped out of Luke-sensei's forehead.

She said sarcastically, "Well, since most of you think that this is such an easy assignment. I'll change it up a bit." Some of the students cheered and threw their arms in the air. "The essay now has to be at least two pages long. Single spaced. And it must be written in English. So don't even think about writing it in Japanese or I won't even read it and put a big, FAT 'F' on it."

Several of the students groaned at her declaration. The ones who had been quiet glared at their classmates for changing one of the easiest assignments to one of pure torture. The tennis players didn't care much because they were mostly capable of doing English and Japanese conversions in their writing. Ryoma didn't even bother to get worried. She was originally from America after all. _This type of assignment will be a breeze for me. Looks like this class will be a piece of cake._

The girl continued to ignore her classmates and teacher as she stared out the window. Fuji and Yukimura gave up on trying getting her attention, but still glanced at her once in a while. Luke-sensei tried to play Ryoma in front of the class by getting her to translate a story in the book into English. With a perfect accent and great enunciation, Ryoma breezed through the passage and sat back down and went back to staring out of the window. Her classmates stared at her for several minutes after she was done. For the rest of the period, Luke-sensei didn't call on her again. Finally, it was minutes before the bell was to ring. She gave everyone a final reminder.

"Many of you third years are already in a club or two, but for you new students, Phoenix Star Academy Students are required to join at least one club. After school every day this week, there will be time for everyone to choose what club they want to join."

The bell rang and everyone made their way out the class. Ryoma headed out the back way and avoided the tennis players as she made her way to the gym. Her face lit up when she saw Sakuno and Tomoka saving her a spot on their bench. They waited for the coach to appear.

There were two coaches, one male and one female. It turns out that they were siblings. They introduced themselves as Melanie-sensei and Pierre-sensei. Their Mediterranean heritage was noticeable among the Japanese teenagers around them. Time was spent passing out gym uniforms and getting locker combinations. Finally, Melanie-sensei and Pierre-sensei addressed the class.

"Occasionally there will be second and third years having P.E. with us. So don't freak out when they come and try to take over the courts." Pierre tried to joke with the students. "If some of the upperclassmen try to give you trouble and we aren't around, just find one of the three tennis captains. They got the power, man!"

Melanie judo chopped her older brother on the head and called him an idiot. She rolled her eyes before facing the first years again.

"Starting this year, boys and girls will be having mixed Physical Education." Whispers broke out amongst the students. "Don't worry. The locker rooms will be separated." Some grumblings could be heard from the boys' side. Melanie chuckled before continuing. "I need girls and boys to get into groups. There should be three girls and three boys to a group. Now go!"

She blew her whistle. Tomoka, Sakuno, and Ryoma spotted three boys standing close together by themselves. They looked at each other and shrugged. It looked like they had found their partners. The girls walked up to the boys. Sakuno spoke first.

"Hi, I'm Sakuno. This is Tomoka and Ryoma. And you guys are?"

One of the boys opened his mouth and said………..

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Chapter Six is done!!! It was hard typing this chapter cuz my mouse kept acting up and the tab on the Microsoft kept getting crazy. The mayhem!!! Lol.

I'm thinking that you smart readers out there can figure out the three boys' names. But who else will Ryoma meet today? And which club will she really join? Wait for it in Chapter 7!!!

Thanks for all those that read and reviewed. It means a lot!!! I've noticed that my chapters are getting longer and longer too. I hope that's a good thing! Hope you stay with the story!!

Starting with the next chapter and on, I'll be using the Japanese suffixes like **–san, -chan, -hime, -sensei, -kun, **etc. I've been just too lazy to do it in the previous chapters.

Updated 5/12/09


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I doubt that Prince of Tennis will ever be mine to own. . **Sob** Now I'm going to cry myself to sleep. Boo Hoo.

This is normal conversation

_These are thoughts._

Author's Note(s): Like I said at the very end of Chapter 6, I'll be using the Japanese honorifics like –san, -kun, -sempai, etc. Well I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

==========Chapter 7, So….Are you always like this?============

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One of the boys opened his mouth and said…….

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"What do you guys want? Don't you know who I am! I am Atobe Shiro. Be awed by my greatness." The boy struck a pose, hand under chin and other arm stretched out in the air. Out of nowhere, a starry background appeared behind him. His two friends were standing on each side of him, clapping at his act. The girls sweatdropped.

_This guy is so weird_ Sakuno thought. _I can't believe I have Monkey King's relative in my second hour!! Is there no escaping them??_ Ryoma complained inwardly. Tomoka, however, spoke her mind out loud.

"What are you? Five? 'Be awed by my greatness' How lame is that?!" Tomoka said loudly to the guys, mimicking the younger Atobe's pose. Shiro's face turned white with shock and then red with embarrassment and anger.

"Do you know who I am? I am Atobe Shiro, younger brother of Atobe Keigo. Our family is THE Atobe Family of Atobe Corporations. Watch how you talk to me, peasant." Shiro said acidly. The two friends, Jin and Wei, nodded at their friends remarks. They too were from a prosperous family and spoiled, but not as much as their leader was. Jin and Wei stalked up to Tomoka. Their greater height made them all that more intimidating to the shorter girls. Except to Ryoma that is.

Ryoma sighed at how much trouble this class was going to be for her. _It looks like I got a Monkey Prince in my class too. Why me? Why me?_ Ryoma stepped in front of Tomoka and glared the boys down. Shiro looked up to see why his friends, Jin and Wei, were slowly backing up towards him. What he saw made his jaw drop. _My gosh. She's so cute!! I know. I'll make her my girlfriend. I bet she'll fall on her knees accepting! Hehehe._

From out of nowhere, Shiro offered Ryoma a rose and said, "My beautiful lady, you are the most beautiful girl here. I will allow for you to be my girlfriend." Jin and Wei did their clapping act and whistled at their friend's luck. Tomoka and Sakuno looked amused at them. Even though they hadn't known Ryoma long, they knew that she didn't like this type of stuff.

Sure enough, some of the veins were popping out on Ryoma's forehead. Her golden eyes were glinting with an angry gleam. "Yo, Monkey Prince, I don't care who you think you are, but you can take that rose and shove it up your----"

"Is there a problem?" a female voice asked, interrupting Ryoma's demand. Melanie-sensei had crept up on the group and noticed that things were heading to a bad direction. "Not everyone has paired up with a member of the opposite sex. Time is running out! Chop chop!!"

A grumbling Ryoma grabbed Sakuno's and Tomoka's arm and walked away from the shocked Shiro and friends. Shiro collapsed to the ground. His friends looked at him in shock. They knew that Shiro looked like….like a commoner on the ground! And knew that he despised looking like a commoner!

"This…this is the first….first time that someone has rejected me! The first time!!" Shiro said in an awed tone. Then he stood back up so quickly Jin and Wei almost got hit in the head. The boy started to laugh like a maniac.

"Uh, Shiro, are you ok?" Jin asked him. His face was set in concern.

"HaHAHA!!! I must have her. She is the only girl to have ever rejected me! I will prove that she can't resist my charms. Nothing can withstand the Atobe charm!!! Nothin!! Bwuahahahhha!!!"

Wei turned to Jin and said in a bored voice, "He's finally cracked. Keigo-san is going to kill us."

Jin nodded at him and they both looked at their 'elegant' friend laughing his head off like a loon. Not that his crazy demeanor took away from the handsome looks that ran in the Atobe genes.

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.Back to Ryoma and Friends.

"Can you believe that guy! He's just like his brother. I swear! Idiocy must run in the family or something." Ryoma said darkly. Tomoka was laughing her head off because of what Ryoma had said. Sakuno only sighed and scanned the gym, looking for any available boys to group up with. She spotted another trio of boys near the door and hoped to Kami that they were normal.

She pointed to the boys. "Look, Ryo-chan, Tomo-chan, there are some guys over there that look like they don't have partners yet." Before they could say anything, Sakuno grabbed their arms.

Sakuno dragged her friends to the trio's destination quickly before any other girls could take them. Ryoma and Tomoka could only follow due to Sakuno's death grip. They had no other choice anyway except for Shiro's group and Kami help them if they had to team up. The three boys looked up at the incoming girls. The teenagers met up halfway.

"Ano, I'm Ryuuzaki Sakuno. This is Echizen Ryoma and Osakada Tomoka. Is it ok if we work with you?"

One of the boys nodded happily. "Sure, I'm Kachiro Katou. These are my friends, Katsuo Mizuno and Satoshi Horio."

Katsuo said, "It's a pleasure to meet you three. We were worried at first when we couldn't find any girls, but you guys saved us!"

"At least you three are better than Shiro-san's group. That guy is such an idiot!" Tomoka said in her usual loud way. Everyone sweatdropped except for Horio. He didn't like the fact that there was someone who could rival him in loudness.

"I'm the great Horio! I have three years of experience in tennis!!! I bet I could make the regular's team if I wanted." Horio bragged in a voice that echoed in the gym. Kachiro and Katsuo were used to Horio's bragging and ignored him. Sakuno and Ryoma sweatdropped before continuing their conversation with their new friends. Tomoka, however, looked at Horio like he was stupid.

"What does that have to do with this conversation? BAKA!"

Before Horio could retort back, the coaches blew their whistles. It was a signal for all the groups to gather around them.

"Alright! The groups that you have chosen will be the people that you will be working with for the entire year in this class. We'll be starting with endurance testings this whole week. In fact, give me laps around this gym until I say that you are all finished. GO!" the sadistic Pierre-sensei said. The students were still milling around. "NOW!!" he barked out, scaring the wits out of the impressionable first years.

The students quickly started their laps. One lap was done. Then five. Then ten. Slowly the freshmen were getting tired and dropped out of the race. Melanie-sensei and Pierre-sensei were discussing about the freshmen quietly.

"That loud mouth Horio stopped after five laps. And he dares to shoot his mouth off about being so great in tennis." Melanie said darkly. "These freshmen have the gall to think that our nation-winning tennis teams are a piece of cake? I'll burn their asses to the ground." Melanie was very possessive and proud of the Academy's tennis team. Kami have mercy on anyone who dared badmouth them in front of her.

"But not all of them are bad. That Tomoka girl stayed up until the tenth lap. Who else is there left?" Pierre asked his sister. They both looked up at the court. It was already the twentieth lap and there were less than a handful of people left.

"Let's see. There's Jin and Wei Chan. They are twins. Then there's Shiro Atobe. No surprise there. His brother is captain of the Hyotei team, and then there's…..Ryoma Echizen. She's the only girl out this bunch who can last this long." Melanie told her brother. A calculating gleam appeared in his eyes.

"I want to see how long that they can last. Let's not call time yet, even though we only planned for everyone to run fifteen laps." Pierre said evilly and Melanie gave a scary chuckle.

On the sidelines, Ryoma's friends watched the last runners on the track.

"Sugoi! Ryoma-chan can run a lot. It's already been thirty laps!" Kachiro said in an awed tone.

"Yeah. She told me that she used to play tennis, but she's taking a break for right now. I guess she still keeps up with her training, "Sakuno told the boys.

"I bet I could take her on! Nothing can beat my three years of experience." A loud mouthed boy said. A ticked Tomoka bopped him on the head. "You couldn't even beat me in running and Ryoma has done six times more than you! Stop bragging baka!"

Horio sniveled. The others laughed at their antics, but continued to watch the runners. It was only Ryoma and Shiro left. The two runners were having their own conversation as they ran side by side.

"Why won't you go out with me?"

Ryoma looked at Shiro like he was stupid. "…….." "You're annoying. Leave me alone already." An aggravated Ryoma said when Shiro kept pestering her.

Shiro was silent for a minute. Then a light bulb appeared above his head. "If I last longer than you before sensei blows the whistle, then you have to go out with me!" A thinking Ryoma stayed quiet for a moment. Then a smile appeared on her face. Shiro blushed when he saw her smile.

"Fine, if you last longer than me, I'll go on one. ONE. Date with you. But if I win, I get to call you Monkey Prince and you have to stop asking me out."

A smirking Shiro agreed to her terms. _I'm the best athlete out of my age group. Even Keigo-nii says that I could be a regular if I tried hard enough in a year or two. I can totally take Ryoma-hime on and she'll have to go on a date with me!!!_

The two runners continued running. They lost track of how many laps they had ran. The two coaches were surprised that their students were still running and had done fifty laps already. Pierre turned to his twin.

"Let's let them stop. We still gotta go in and change out of the uniforms anyway." He said to his sister.

She nodded and blew her whistle. The students on the sidelines quieted and the two lone runners stopped where they were at. "Since it doesn't look like there will be a clear winner anytime soon, we'll just say that Ryoma-chan and Shiro-kun are tied today. Now get back into the dressing rooms and get changed. You have lunch after this."

"I guess the bet is off then, Monkey Prince," Ryoma said before taking off towards her friends. Shiro could only nod before making his way to the Chan twins on stumbling legs.

The girls and boys went to their respective dressing rooms.

-----Girls' Dressing Room------

Tomoka and Sakuno went to Ryoma while they were changing.

"You were great out there, Ryoma!!!" Sakuno cheered her friend.

"You totally beat all those guy's butts out there." Tomoka said to her friend.

The slightly winded Ryoma only nodded at their compliments and drank out of her water bottle. She was thinking about her training regime. _It seems that the training regime is paying off. But it looks like I'll be adding some more laps to it tonight_. _Maybe this class won't be so bad after all._

-------Boys' Locker Rooms--------

The two brothers approached their friend. They saw that he was sitting on a bench; his towel was over his head. His uniform was drenched in sweat and they heard him take deep, shaking breaths.

"Dude, you really rocked out there," The energetic Jin told Shiro.

"But, it looks like that Ryoma girl would have outlasted you, though." The more realistic of the twins said, popping Jin's bubble.

"Shut up." Shiro said in a shaking voice. "Let me catch my breath." Deep inside, Shiro was also thinking the same thing as Wei. _ Wei is right. I could barely catch my breath and keep up with her on that last lap. If sensei hadn't stopped us, I would have lost the bet. And when we went in, she didn't even look as tired as me. Just who are you Ryoma Echizen?_

--------------Lunchtime----------In the Cafeteria-----------------Ryoma and Friends---------------

The six friends were sitting at their own table. Ryoma and Sakuno were the only one who had brought their lunch. The others had cafeteria food.

Ryoma noticed that there were many people in the lunch room already, but noticed that they were mainly first years and a few scattered second year groups. "I only really see first years in here. Where are all of the second and third years?"

"Ah, a lot of the third and second years already have certain spots that they like to eat at. For the regular tennis players, all three teams usually meet at the Cherry Blossom courtyard to eat together." Sakuno said in a sure voice.

"Plus, the first years are the ones who usually eat in the cafeteria. When a first year gets invited to eat with the upper classmen, it's considered an honor. And if you get invited to eat with the tennis regulars, then the whole school is bound to know who you are and you get famous just like that" Kachiro said as well, snapping his fingers.

The other members of the table looked at them. Silently asking them how they knew such things. Sakuno and Kachiro crumbled under their stares.

"My grandmother is the Seigaku tennis coach. So I know most of what goes on with the tennis players and stuff." Sakuno explained.

"I just like knowing this type of stuff. Plus, me, Horio, and Katsuo are planning on joining the tennis club." He said. Then his eyes got big and he pointed at the door. "Isn't that Jiro-san from the Hyotei team? Why isn't he eating outside!!! It's so rare for a regular to come eat in the cafeteria!"

Most of the freshmen at the table looked towards the door. Ryoma, however, just opened her bento and started to eat her lunch. She didn't really mind being around Jiro since he wasn't annoying like Monkey King was. Deep in her thoughts that she was, she didn't realize that the whisperings around the cafeteria were getting louder. And she didn't notice that her friends had a bewildered look on their faces. Then she heard the chair next to her scrape on the floor and sensed someone sit themselves down. The tennis prodigy looked to her left and saw Jiro.

"What's up Jiro-senpai?" Ryoma asked the Sleeping Beauty.

"Nothing much, Ryoma-hime. Say. Can I have some of your lunch?" Jiro asked, activating his puppy dog eyes.

Ryoma narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't you go get Monkey King to get you some food?"

The tennis regular looked at Ryoma harder with his puppy eyes. His lower lip was jutting out in a pout. The second years in the cafeteria had their camera and phones out to take pictures of the rarely wide awake Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei.

"But…I like your food, Ryoma-hime…Please???" His eyes got wider and some wetness could be spotted. Ryoma sighed. Jiro smiled, knowing that when she had sighed, she had given in. It was true that Jiro liked to eat Ryoma's cooking and he made a habit of finding her every day during lunch time.

Ryoma split her lunch in half and gave it to the boy. Then she gave him her extra pair of chopsticks and can of Ponta. After she was done, she looked up and noticed the questioning looks on her friends' faces. "What?"

"How…What….You know Jiro-senpai?" A rush of questions escaped from their mouths. Ryoma sighed once again before speaking. She explained how Jiro ritually came to her for her lunch and that she had taken it upon herself to cook his lunch as well as hers. She even told them about she had met the Hyotei players, most of the Rikkaidai players, and about her class schedule. Jiro was only listening to with half an ear as he concentrated on his food. When things had finally settled down, a voice called out to Jiro. A voice that Ryoma dreaded hearing after first hour.

"Oy, Jiro. Ore-sama is surprised that you are eating in here with the …..Ah! Ryoma-hime, Ore-sama did not know you were here. Here, accept this rose of mine from the bottom of Ore-sama's heart." Out of nowhere Atobe offered Ryoma a rose.

She ignored him and looked behind Atobe. "Nice to see you again Kabaji-senpai." "Usu."

Atobe discarded the rose behind him, ignoring the rush of girls trying to get it as her own. "Ah, Ore-sama sees that you cook your own lunch. Will you cook Ore-sama a lunch tomorrow?"

"Yada, Monkey King." Ryoma answered.

Jiro chuckled. "Too bad Atobe-buchou. Ryoma-hime cooks a good bento."

Atobe gasped. _Ryoma-hime allows Jiro to eat her food but not Ore-sama. I must know his secret._ Meanwhile, Ryoma grabbed a cake out of her bag and gave it to Kabaji. Atobe noticed this and gave a tantrum.

"Why do you give Kabaji a cake but not Ore-sama?"

"Cuz he asked, baka Monkey King." Ryoma explained and went back to eating. "So if Ore-sama were to ask---" "Yada." Ryoma cut him off before he could finish. Then the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Quick as lightning, Ryoma packed up her stuff and told everyone goodbye, leaving a stone figure of Atobe at the table. Sakuno, Tomoka, Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo also quickly left, leaving the Hyotei players alone. Jiro turned to Kabaji, his lunch finished.

"Looks like Atobe is gonna need help to class, neh Kabaji?" the Sleeping beauty of Hyotei said.

"Usu." Kabaji said before finishing off Ryoma's delicious homemade cake. He lifted Atobe onto his arms and together, the Hyotei player left, not realizing the gossip about them and Ryoma was blazing throughout the school.

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---------------------------3rd Period: Chemistry 2-A---------------------

Ryoma was standing outside the door to room 2-A. She could hear loud laughter coming out of the room. _Geez. It's unlike the soft and calm atmosphere in first period this morning. Wait. Did I just hear a table break?_ A wary Ryoma stepped into the classroom. She saw that there was no broken table or chairs. She gave a relieve breath. The tennis prodigy made her way to a chair in the back near the window. Actually, she was in the same spot where she had sat in first hour. Ryoma noticed that the seats around her already had bags placed on them. As she was getting her stuff out, a shadow descended over her.

"Oy, freshman!" Ryoma looked up at the speaker. "Don't think you can get all cocky just because you placed out of English 1. You're in the big leagues now!"

Ryoma smirked at the guy and deliberately provoked him. "If you're the best of the class, then I won't even have to break a sweat in this class."

"Why you!!" the guy reached out and grabbed her arm. Then a second later, two hands grabbed the second year's arm. Ryoma looked up and saw a violet-eyed boy come to her rescue.

"What do you think you're doing, Arai? That's no way to treat a cute kouhei" He tightened his grip on the one called Arai's arm. Arai winced and let go of Ryoma's arm. "Besides, you know that Mamushi hates it when guys treat girls roughly. Right Mamushi?"

"Fshhh." A boy with a bandana hissed. His fierce glare scared Arai. "I'm sorry Kaidoh. I won't do it again. Oy, Momoshiro, you can let go of my arm now!"

The boy named Momoshiro laughed and let go of his arm. He took the seat on the left of Ryoma. Arai was blocking Kaidoh's way to his seat on the right of Ryoma.

"Arai, get out of my way." The snake boy said. Arai quickly stumbled out of his path and made his way to his own seat at another table. Kaidoh slouched onto his chair.

"Thank you senpai." Ryoma said softly to the people sitting next to her. _I guess the second year class isn't so bad after all._

"No problem. I'm Takeshi Momoshiro, but you can call me Momo-chan. That's Mamushi over there."

"Mamushi?" Ryoma said in a questioning tone. _This dude's name is Snake? What kind of name is that??_

"Ah, no! His name is really Kaoru Kaidoh, but I call him Mamushi cuz he acts like a snake a lot." Momoshiro said with a wide grin. The boy next to Ryoma took offense at his tone.

"Who are you calling mamushi you peach head?" Kaidoh said to his old rival. Momoshiro got up and grabbed the front of Kaidoh's shirt. Kaidoh did the same to Momoshiro's shirt.

"Nani? Want to start something you Snake bastard? "Bring it on, peach butt!" More bickering happened until the teacher threw chalk pieces at both boys. Ryoma sweat dropped at the boys clutching their heads. The teacher, Yumi-sensei, continued with her speech.

"In case you two weren't paying attention, class has already started. Now I'll continue where I left off. Each of you are nicely balanced with three to a table, am I correct?" Nods were seen around the room. "Good. I hope you like the people sitting with you because they are going to be your partners for the rest of the year."

"NANI!!!" Two tennis players said in loud and disbelieving voices. "I have to work with Mamushi/Peach Butt???"

The lone girl sitting between them put her head in her hands and sighed. _And here I thought they were normal. Why do I attract all the weirdos? Why me, Kami??_

Thus this is how Ryoma's third period was like. She had a migraine coming on and she was barely able to keep the two rivals from coming to blows.

------------------4th Period: Math 3-A--------------------

Ryoma stepped into the third year class, basking in the quietness and soft atmosphere. She took a seat on the last row, but wasn't able to get the one closest to the window. She noticed that several boys wearing blue and white jerseys and grey and white shirts had taken most of the back desks closest to the windows. She recognized the teenager called Oishi and he too remembered her. He pulled her up into his group.

"Minna. This is Ryoma Echizen. She's that first year that all of the teachers have been talking about. Ryoma, this is Kikumaru Eiji." He gestured to a boy with red hair and a band aid on his cheek.

"Hello,ochibi! Nyah!!" Ryoma looked at the cat like boy. _Ochibi? I guess it's better than hime._

"Eiji is on the Seigaku tennis team with me. We're doubles partners. These two are Gakuto Mukahi and Ryo Shishido. They are regulars on the Hyotei tennis team." The two boys nodded at her. Ryoma bowed to them in respect.

'Domo. It's a pleasure to meet you senpais." Ryoma said courteously. _Why is it that I keep having these tennis players in all of my classes. First that dorm, now this. Why does this keep happening to me? _ Bickering drew Ryoma's attention back to the group at hand.

"I'm a better acrobatic player than you are, Gakuto. Nyah!!" the red head told the other red head.

"Hah! I am a much better player than you! All you is jump around in the air, Kikumaru!" Gakuto told the other in a smug tone. Kikumaru pouted.

_OMG! Not another pair of rivals!!! I don't think I could handle this!_ Ryoma thought with a touch a panic. But luckily, Oishi and Shishido calmed their friends down. Ryoma gave a quick breath of relief. _Thank goodness that there are some normal people in my class. I don't know what I would do if Oishi-senpai and Shishido-senpai wasn't here._

Needless to say, the math class went by in relative peace.

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---------------5th Period: Japanese History 3-A----------------

Standing outside the classroom for her last class of the day was Ryoma. It was noisy in the room but not loud compared to her chemistry period. Ryoma peeked inside the room. She noticed that the students inside looked normal compared to the bishounens in first period. Ryoma walked into the classroom and took a seat behind a silver haired boy. The girl noticed that he had a yellow and black jacket hanging off of his chair. _Rikkaidai? I wonder who this guy is._

The guy in front of Ryoma was talking to Jackal in front of him. He didn't notice that there was someone sitting behind him. Bunta walked into the classroom and the silver boy hailed him over.

"Oy! Bunta! Come take the seat behind me!" he said.

The 'tensai' of Rikkaidai waved back at his friend. "Hold on, Niou. Let me make my way there first."

The bubble gum chewing tennis player maneuvered his way to the back when he stopped in his tracks. He bopped his friend in the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Niou complained. A scowl was on his face.

"Baka," Marui said, "Ryoma-hime is already sitting there."

Niou turned around and indeed noticed the beautiful girl behind him. Ryoma stared back at him with a direct look. He blushed. _Kawaii! So this is the girl that Yagyuu told me about. The one that Sanada likes. Hehehehe. I can't wait to tease him later._

Niou apologized to the girl. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice that you were sitting there. Marui, why don't you take the seat next to Ryoma then?"

Marui grinned, happy to be sitting near his crush. Jackal chuckled at his doubles partner's expression. _Looks like class won't be boring with her around_.

Ryoma tried to ignore the boys and decided to look in the opposite direction. She noticed that the seats around her had already filled up. The male on the other side of her looked pretty normal and somewhat shy. Ryoma inwardly grinned. _Now this is what I'm talking about. Just a normal guy that won't weird me out. That's all that I was asking for!_

"Hello." Ryoma said to the boy. "I'm Ryoma Echizen. Nice to meet you…?"

"Ah. I'm Takashi Kawamura. Nice to meet you Ryoma-chan." He said. Marui interrupted him before he could speak again. The 'tensai' wagged his finger at the sushi heir. "No. No. No. Kawamura-san. It's Ryoma-hime. Not Ryoma-chan!"

The boy blushed at his mistake. "I'm sorry Ryoma-hime."

An angry Ryoma swiveled back to the bubble gum freak. "Why the heck are all of you calling me Ryoma-hime? I'm no princess!"

"Ah. I can explain that." A black-haired teenager popped up between Ryoma's and Bunta's desk. Marui and Ryoma leaned back into their seats, hands over their heart at the sudden appearance of their classmate.

"Dammit, Inui! I thought we told you not to do that again." Marui told him angrily.

"My bad. But let me introduce myself Ryoma-hime, I am Inui Sadaharu. I'm a Seigaku regular. I'm sure that you already know Marui-san, Jackal-san, and Niou-kun as Rikkaidai regulars. Kawamura-san is also a regular like me. But, I digress. Ryoma-hime, let me explain why you are being called hime." The data master said. While the data master was talking, Ryoma had the feeling that she had met this guy before. _Why does this guy seem so familiar? Why do I get this dreaded feeling every time I see his glasses glint?_

"Over the summer, you were spotted hanging out with Atobe-san of Hyotei and his team. Before school started, you were seen hanging out with the many of the Rikkaidai regulars. During your second period of Physical Education, you were one of two runners who outlasted the Len-senseis. And during lunch today, the Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei ate with you. And throughout the day, you have classes with at least one regular of the three tennis teams that this school is famous for." Inui's glasses gleamed before he continued. "Despite all of this, you are only a first year at that. You were able to knock Luke-sensei off her pedestal. You reject Atobe-san's offers each time. And rumor has it that you have also rejected his younger brother, Shiro, as well. All and all, you are Ryome-hime, freshman legend." Inui finished in a high note. He closed his trusty black notebook. Ryoma stared at him.

Ryoma tried to process the information given. The other tennis regulars clapped at Inui's performance. They were amazed at how much spying…errr… data-collecting he was able to do on Ryoma, despite it being the first day of school. Ryoma, however, was still getting a nudge in her brain that she knew this person from somewhere. Then she saw Inui scribble something and the cogs in her brain clicked.

The tennis prodigy pointed at her senpai. "Ah! You're that weird guy who was always making those weird drinks over the summer!" Her exclamation made the boys look at her. Inui nudged his glasses back up his nose.

"Yes. I was the one making those masterpieces. In fact, I have a new recipe that I would like to try out. Care for a sample?" Inui asked, hoping that the girl would say yes. Unfortunately, he didn't count on the other regulars coming to her rescue.

"No!" they all shouted simultaneously. Ryoma looked at them confused. "What's so wrong with them? I mean they do give off a weird smell and look strange, but they can't be _that_ bad."

Jackal, Marui, Niou, and Kawamura shuddered when they remembered their own experiences at being tricked or having to drink Inui's special juices as punishment. Jackal's skin looked pale as he told Ryoma that she DID NOT want to drink Inui's juices under any circumstances. Ryoma looked at the guys sitting around her. _Jackal looks pretty pale considering that he's so dark. Kawamura looks like he's about to collapse and Niou looks like he's gonna hurl. Even Marui-senpai looks like he wants to just creep to the floor and die. Maybe I shouldn't try it after all._

Ryoma turned to her senpai. "That's ok Inui-senpai. I'll pass on the drink."

A thwarted Inui showed his disappointment. Then he perked up. _I'll just test it out on the others during practice then._ Without realizing it, he started to laugh out loud. He seriously freaked out Ryoma, but the others were used to his random outbursts.

Ryoma couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a long school year. She glanced up at the clock in front of the room and was counting down the minutes until they were free. Then Kawamura-senpai interrupted her daydreaming.

"Ano, Ryoma-hime---"

"Please, Kawamura-senpai. Just call me Ryo-chan. It's shorter and I hate being called hime." Ryoma pleaded with the gentle-natured boy. Kawamura stuttered out sure. Then he continued on.

"What club are you going to join? Every student needs to join one." He asked.

Ryoma thought about his question. Marui s was listening to their conversation, and decided to add his input.

"You should join the tennis team. Then you could hang out with us after school."

Ryoma looked at him surprised. "But I thought that the girls' and boys' tennis teams were separate? I can't join the boys' team."

"That's not really true." Inui corrected Ryoma. Said girl glanced at the boy who was sitting in front of Kawamura-senpai. "Girls can join the boys' tennis team, but they usually prefer to cheer us on. And only the strongest are allowed to become regulars."

Niou also added his own two cents. "Yeah. It just so happens that in the last ten years, all of the regulars have been male. It's a common mistake that everyone makes when they think about our tennis teams."

"So, you could join the tennis team with us and even if you don't get to be a regular, you can still have fun with us." Jackal finished off. He was imagining all of the mayhem that would ensue if Ryoma appeared at practice in a short skirt and a cute short-sleeve.

A newly informed Ryoma just shook her head. "Thanks for trying guys, but I don't think I'll be joining the tennis team. I'm more into cooking and music."

"But what about the match with Yagyu----"

"I said," Ryoma interrupted Marui in a steely voice, "I'm more into cooking and music."

The males quickly dropped the subject after that. After all, they knew what an angry female could do. The last period of the day passed in relative silence for Ryoma. Sitting behind two bigger guys allowed Ryoma to rest her head and sleep for the rest of the class. Finally, Ryoma woke up in time right before the bell. She stretched and gave a yawn as she left the classroom, not noticing the looks the boys were giving her as she walked out.

----------------------Outside of the School----------------------

The young female was aimlessly walking around, looking for her friends. She didn't notice the admiring looks that some of the guys were giving her. _I wonder where they are at. Ah! I know. They might be near the tennis courts since the guys had already decided to join it._ Ryoma changed directions and went along a path of sakura trees. As she continued along in that direction, she heard numerous sounds of tennis balls and racket swings.

There were many people milling about, hoping to sign up for the famous teams. Ryoma couldn't find her friends at first. Then she heard a familiar voice ring out.

"I have three years of experience!" That was all that Ryoma really heard and she followed the voice. Sure enough, she found Horio with the others. When she saw her friends, however, her look of relief changed to horror. She pointed at Sakuno and Tomoka.

"What…What is that??!!!" Ryoma exclaimed. Her face was set in a mix of horror and surprise.

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==================End of Chapter 7================

Hi!!! I hope all of you enjoyed this latest chapter of "My True Self."

I bet all of you were surprised to find out that the trio mentioned at the end of Chapter 6 wasn't the trio that we all know and kinda love! I just love pulling people along like that.

Well that's it for Chapter 7 and I hoped you guys are wondering about what made Ryoma shocked like that. Until then, have a nice day!

Read and review!! Don't forget to vote for the pairings!! And there will be a guest speaker in the next chapter…..Hope you guys are excited like I am!!!

Updated 5/13/09


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Like I could really own Prince of Tennis in this reality. Get real!!!

This is regular conversation

_These are thoughts_

Author's notes: It looks like I'm making pretty good time of updating! I hope that in the summer I keep up this pace as well. I know that all of you are wondering what made Ryoma scared like that….find out below in Chapter 8!!!

P.S. Sorry for the slow update. I had so much going on that I went crazy a few times and lost track of what my days were.

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.I LOVE CLIFFHANGERS!!!! Writing them help me remember that I have to finish the next chapter soon and update quicker rather just keep putting it off for another day because I have to think of new plot material…Cliffhangers help me not be a lazy bum, if that makes sense to you readers.

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=========Chapter 8: A New Face=============

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Ryoma had followed Horio's voice and was able to locate her friends. Her relieved face soon turned to horror as she pointed to Sakuno and Tomoka.

"What….What is that!!!" Ryoma asked, horror and surprised etched on her face.

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Horio and the other two boys looked at their new friends. They didn't notice anything wrong with them.

Kachiro asked Ryoma, "What's wrong with Sakuno and Tomoka? They just changed into their gym uniforms is all?"

A still shocked prodigy spoke, "That's the thing! Why are you two in your uniforms? Don't tell me that you two are thinking about joining the tennis club??"

Sakuno twiddled her fingers as she looked at Ryoma. "Well, I was walking with Tomo-chan for her to sign up for the girls' tennis team when we found out that its co-ed. And….Tomo-chan didn't want to be the only freshman girl so she asked me to join too."

"But…but what about the photography club?" Ryoma asked, getting kind of panicky at the fact that all of her new friends were joining the tennis club together.

Tomoka answered for her friend, clearly angry at something. "That guy Shiro is in it and he said that she couldn't join. Making some excuse about them reaching their quota of girls already! I can't believe that spoiled brat. And the president didn't do anything except coddle him as he pushed us out the door!!!!"

Katsuo and Kachiro were nodding at her words. They too had been with them when this had all gone down. But Ryoma wasn't done yet. She still had an ace up her sleeve.

"But….but what about the culinary club? I don't want to join by myself either," Ryoma said as pitiful as she could. Her head was lowered at little bit and her bottom lip was jutting slightly out.

Sakuno felt bad for leaving Ryoma out. She really hated being torn between friends. Then she brightened up as an idea came to her. "I know! Ryo-chan, why don't you join the tennis club with us!! Then we could all be in it together. Plus there's no rule that we can't join more than one club. So we can still join the culinary club together." The braided girl let out a breath as she figured out a solution to their predicament.

Ryoma's face paled considerably. _No!!! NO!!!! NO!!!! I can't let them sucker me into joining. They can't make me!!! No matter what they do!!!_ Ryoma quickly put up her hands and started to back away slowly from her friends, trying not to alert them of her actions.

"No…no…that's alright Sa-chan. You and Tomo-chan can join the tennis teams with the guys. I'm just fine with the culinary club." Ryoma turned around quickly and tried to run away. The key word in that sentence was TRY of course. The former tennis prodigy couldn't move anywhere and felt two pair of hands holding her arms back. A grinning Horio and smiling Tomoka were holding Ryoma back.

"No, no, no Ryo-chan!!! You have to join with us!" Tomoka said with her Cheshire smile widening.

"IT'S going to be MORE FUN with all of us anyway," the loudmouth Horio proclaimed.

Tomoka also added, "Besides, you already know some of the regulars. And they don't seem that scary compared to some of the others that we've seen throughout the day." She giggled loudly.

"Plus with my three years of experience, I can teach you how to be a great tennis player Ryoma-chan, if that's what you're worried about!" bragged Horio. His not-so-admirable chest was puffed out. Kachiro, Katsuo, and Sakuno sweat dropped at Horio's boasting.

Ryoma was still trying to get free of her two friends, but wasn't having much success. In fact, she noticed that it was quite opposite. Horio and Tomoka were _draggin_g her in the _opposite _direction. The direction, she noticed, that was where the tennis sign-up table was located.

"NO!!!" Ryoma screamed. Her shouts drew the attention of the other people around the group, but her friends ignored her protests. Sakuno was cheerfully chatting with Katsuo and Kachiro while Horio and Tomoka were grinning like buffoons. A trapped Ryoma could only watch as Sakuno filled out all of her paperwork and hand it in to the upperclassmen manning the table.

The two senpais were looking at Ryoma in concern and looked at her friends.

"Ano, are you sure that she wants to join?" the one on the right said. She was nodding meaningfully at Ryoma.

"Oh, no. She's really shy at this sort of stuff. Right Ryo-chan?" Tomoka sweetly asked her captive. Ryoma was about to give another denial, but Tomoka elbowed her in the ribs. A puff of air escaped from her mouth. Horio took over from that point.

'Ryoma-chan is just really excited about joining. It was all that she could talk about during lunch. Right guys?" Horio looked at his friends. They looked at Ryoma staring at them with wide pleading eyes. Then they looked back at Tomoka and Horio who had retribution promised on their faces if they failed to answer correctly.

"Uh… that's right! She's been waiting for this all day!" Katsuo said. He gave Ryoma a pitying glance when the upperclassmen weren't noticing. _I'm really really really sorry Ryoma-chan. But Horio and Tomoka combined are too scary!!!_

Horio and Tomoka turned their glare onto the other boy. Kachiro took a step back behind Sakuno and looked over her shoulder.

"Yeah. We all decided to join as a group. We hoped that it would be more fun that way," Kachiro inputted. He gave a soft smile while inwardly thinking _Please don't kill me later Ryoma!! But Horio and Tomoka will never let me forget it if I didn't help them!!_

Sakuno just smiled at their senpais, declining to add anything to the conversation. _If I don't say anything, then Ryo-chan can't get mad at me._

The tennis senpais were still unsure but they too ignored the pleading look that Ryoma was sending them. They still had a long line of people to register, and hey! There was nothing wrong about registering someone against their will. Right?

The senpai on the left told them one last bit of information before the freshmen group left. "Now that all of you have registered, you can only resign from the club if the following happens: all three captains vote to keep you out of the club, the two coaches say that you are off of the club, if you conduct unsportsmanlike conduct after being warned twice, or if you disgrace the Phoenix Star Academy tennis team reputation."

The other worker also added his two cents in. "Also, there are three tennis teams at this school. Rikkaidai, Hyotei, and Seigaku. Now are there any questions?" Horio opened his mouth. The senpai ignored him. "None? Ok, good! Report to the tennis courts on Friday for the first meeting. Have a nice day!"

The people behind the freshmen nudged them out of the line. They were anxious for their turn to sign up. The group escaped from the crowd of people and made their way to an empty Sakura tree. Ryoma dropped herself to the ground. The others followed suit.

No one said anything for a few minutes. Only deep breathing could be heard among the friends.

"I hate all of you." Ryoma finally said to them. Her arm was stretched across her eyes. Tomoka and Sakuno exchanged looks. It really seemed like Ryoma was mad at them.

A guilty Sakuno spoke first. "But we just thought it would be more fun if we could all play together. Do you really not like being in the tennis club with us?"

Sakuno's face was downcast. She looked really guilty for making Ryoma be in the tennis club against her will. Kachiro and Katsuo, too, looked at Ryoma guiltily. They thought that Ryoma was pretty good for a girl and had much respect for her especially since she was able to keep up with the braggart Shiro. Even Horio and Tomoka looked worried when Ryoma stayed silent. Suddenly Ryoma sat up, scaring Horio who had been leaning over her.

She broke out a huge smile. "Naah…I don't mind being in the club. Maybe it's just meant to be for me I guess."

The others looked confused when she said that. What did destiny and fate have to do with tennis? They shrugged when they couldn't come up with a logical explanation.

Ryoma jumped up off the ground and the others did the same. It was getting late and dinner was going to come soon. _I have to start on all the homework that the senseis gave me today too. Sadistic teachers, giving homework on the first day of school…**sigh**_

The freshmen made their way to their dorm. It was a surprise to both the boys and girls that they all had rooms across the hall from each other.

"This is so cool. We all live next to each other!!" Kachiro said.

A hyper Horio invited everyone over to his room to celebrate their first day as Star students. Most of them cheered at his proposal. Except Ryoma that is.

"Sorry, guys," she said with an apologetic smile, "sensei gave us homework and I need to start working on it. Maybe next time, ok?"

The others gave their groans and promised to have her share of the fun. Ryoma went to her room and locked the door.

After several hours of doing her assignments, Ryoma was finally on her last one: the English Essay. The tennis prodigy looked at her clock and was surprised to see that it was almost 11 at night. A yawn escaped from her.

She turned off her lamp light. "I'll just finish this another day." And she went to bed. While she tried to sleep she could only think that tennis would never leave her.

As she doze off into the land of dreams, the moonlight peeked through her window blinds and onto the lone paper on her desk. It was her English essay. There were only a few sentences on it. There were many scratch outs on the paper.

"**My name is Ryoma Echizen. ****My father is Nanjiro Echizen, former pro tennis player. **** My father is a part-time monk who works at the temple near Star Academy. But he is pretty much a pervert who likes to read his disgusting books. My mother is ****Rinko Echizen, a successful lawyer who controls the household with an iron fist.**** My mother is a working woman who is a great cook and loving mother. I have an older brother. He's in college right now and loves to aggravate me. When I was younger, I loved to…play ten."**

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-------------Overall School Week before Friday--------------

Ryoma was not excited about tomorrow. Today was Thursday and the first official tennis club practice would be after school tomorrow. The past week had been hell for the cooking prodigy.

//////// Flashback: Tuesday \\\\\\\\\\

Ryoma had been "randomly" assigned to work with Monkey King on a fictional romance story. Ryoma had no doubt that Luke-sensei had it in for her and had paired her up with him even though the pairs were decided by people other. Monkey King sat on the other side of the room for crying out loud!

The teenager had just been minding her own business and was staring out the window like always. Then she heard Luke-sensei say something of remote interest.

"I want to see how well you all can work with each other. So I'm randomly assigning each of you into pairs." Ryoma noticed that when she was saying the pairs out loud, they were mainly people who sat next to each other. She noticed that many of the tennis regulars were being paired off together: Sanada x Tezuka, Oishi x Yanagi, Oshitari x Yagyuu, and Yukimura x Fuji. Jiro sat near Ryoma and she hoped that she would be paired with him even though she knew that she would be basically doing the assignment by herself.

Ryoma was tensed when Luke-sensei got to her name. "Ryoma Echizen and…..Atobe Keigo will be partners."

"Nani!!!" "YES!!" two different voices shouted at the same time. Ryoma sank into her seat, banging her head on her desk as Atobe made his way to her. She didn't notice his smug smile or the looks that certain tennis players were giving him. Atobe's smirk only got bigger when Ryoma had to scoot her desk over for him to sit next to her. Needless to say, the rest of the hour was filled with Ryoma resisting the urge to bang her head on the desk and knocking herself unconscious while Atobe rambled on about how great he was.

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Second hour was slightly better. The sensei, Lina-sensei, loved to teach the students about cooking, but seemed to have a split personality. At times she was nice and sweet, while she could be like a drill sergeant and unforgiving to those that misbehaved in class. Lina-sensei randomly assigned everyone in to different groups. Ryoma x Katsuo. Tomoka x Kachiro. Sakuno x Horio. Ryoma gave a pitying look to Sakuno when Horio started to brag that he could cook really well. Sakuno could only bear with his bragging and noted that Horio did seem like he knew his way around the kitchen though.

Five minute later, Ryoma was helping Sakuno put out a fire. Apparently Horio could cook really well. Really well into flame-broiled charcoal foods. As if that wasn't enough trouble, Tomoka had been making fun of Horio's cooking and wasn't paying attention to her own stove. Her apron had caught on fire. A panicked Kachiro yelled fire and grabbed the nearest bowl of water to throw on Tomoka. At the same time, Ryoma had aimed the fire extinguisher at her friend. The end product? A wet looking Tomoka covered in white foam.

But instead of everyone calming down like reasonable adults, Horio started to make fun of Tomoka, calling her a snowman and what not. Enraged, Tomoka tried to chase their loud mouthed friend around the classroom, leaving a trail of mess behind her. Lina-sensei looked with horror as her immaculate room was dirtied in the space of ten minute.

She snapped. "STOP RUNNING AROUND THIS INSTANT!" She roared in loud voice. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Their teacher's blond hair looked platinum in the light and her blue eyes were cooled over with revenge.

"This is not the way one acts in the kitchen. Tomoka and Horio, as punishment, you two will be cleaning the entire room and kitchen stations for the rest of the week."

"Nani!!! Kuso!!!" both of the troublemakers let out. Another angry vein appeared out of their sensei's head. Their partners, Ryoma, and Katsuo tried to quiet them, but weren't successful. Lina-sensei straightened to her full height, an impressive 6'3" and towered over the freshmen. Horio and Tomoka, seeing their teachers' intimidating stance, quieted quickly.

"Since you two are having so much fun thinking that the kitchen is your playground, then why don't I give you more time to be in it." A chilly smile appeared on the sensei's face. "Sakuno, Kachiro, Katsuo, and Ryoma."

The students called stood before their teacher. They dreaded what was going to happen next. They had reason to fear.

"You four will be helping Horio and Tomoka cook the tennis regulars bentos for the next week. That means that each Hyotei, Rikkaidai, and Seigaku regular will be fed during lunch by all of you. And so help all of you if there is even one negative comment from them."

Tomoka and Horio opened their mouths to protest. Kachiro and Ryoma slapped their mouths shut with their own hands. Lina-sensei quirked an eyebrow at the still arrogant children.

"It seems that isn't enough for you two I see. Well, if any of you fail to do this assignment, all of you will fail this class. No if, ands, buts about it."

Lina-sensei gave an evil chuckle. _I wouldn't really do that, but it's so fun seeing their faces. Who knew that there was a shade of blue and red like that before?_ She chuckled more as she saw the kaleidoscope of colors pass of the freshmen's faces.

Ryoma sighed. _ How the hell did I get into this mess? We were only cooking fried eggs and rice for Kami's sake!_

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//////////….End of Flashback…..Tuesday…..\\\\\\\\\\

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Ryoma sighed as the final warning bell rang for students to be in their fifth period class. As Marui and Niou-senpai tried talking to her, Ryoma tuned them out and just laid her head in her arms. The two tennis regulars looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders at her rare laid back moment. Usually during Japanese history, Ryoma was wide awake and alert as she paid attention to the teacher. But today, Ryoma let out a sigh and thought about what had happened in class yesterday.

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////////……Flashback…Wednesday…….\\\\\\\\\\

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Atobe was being his usually charming self to Ryoma as they tried to finish up the writing assignment. Of course, in Ryoma's cases, Atobe was being annoying and giving her a migraine.

He would not shut up! _Kami! Just how much can someone talk about themselves?!_

"So, Ryoma-hime, I hear that you are in the tennis club with your little friends." Atobe mentioned in a silky voice to his partner. Said partner was trying to ignore him. Their neighboring pair, however, was paying some attention to Atobe's ranting and their ears perked when they heard that last little tidbit.

A smiling tensai interrupted Atobe before he could speak again. "Ah, Ryoma-hime. You are in tennis club?"

Ryoma bobbed her head at Fuji's question. Her mind was still on answering the last two problems of the assignment. The girl ran a hand through her dark green silky hair, making the boys around her stare at her motion. Not that she noticed of course!

Fuji's partner also turned around and made his way into the conversation. "Hmm. I think that the tennis clubs will be much more fun with you around, Ryo-chan."

Fuji and Atobe were slightly surprised at the familiar tone that the Rikkaidai captain was using and their eyes narrowed when they realized that he had called Ryoma Ryo-chan.

A still distracted Ryoma only nodded at the bluenette's comment. She was about to be on the last problem of the aggravating assignment.

Not to be upstaged, Atobe also added his two cents in. "Neh, Ryo-chan, do you know that all the tennis players are sorted into the three divisions: Rikkaidai, Seigaku, and Hyotei? If you want, I can put in a word for you to be in the elite Hyotei team."

Yukimura gave an icy glare at Atobe. Fuji's eyes opened and were gleaming at the Hyotei diva. Atobe's back was turned to them, and he gave a slight shiver as he felt their collective glares.

Fuji asked quickly, "Ryo-chan, if you want, I can get you into Seigaku if you want. We are always fun to be with and we practice our hea----"

Yukimura interrupted his partner, "Ryo-chan! I'm captain of the Rikkaidai team. I could get you on the team if you want. Rikkaidai has been the national champions for the last three years."

"Yes!!" Ryoma shouted loudly. Fuji and Atobe were crushed at her response. Yukimura gave a smirk at his two rivals. _This is my win._ The girl got up suddenly, surprising the boys slightly.

"I finally finished that last problem!" Ryoma said cheerfully. Ryoma went turn in her assignment to Luke-sensei. The three tennis players fell anime-style on the floor. The tennis prodigy turned around and lifted an eyebrow at the boys on the floor. Yukimura was the first to recover.

"Ryo-chan, were you paying attention to us at all?" he asked.

"Huh? What were you saying senpai?" Ryoma said bluntly. Yukimura, Fuji, and Atobe sweatdropped. Their heart's desire had totally been ignoring them the whole time.

"I said, which team would you like to join for the tennis club?" the captain of the Rikkaidai team asked. "If you need any pointers, I am always willing to help you out."

"And I!" Fuji and Atobe said immediately afterwards.

Ryoma opened her mouth, "I think I would want to join---". Before she could finish, the bell rang and interrupted her. The three teenagers were cursing silently at the bell.

The tennis prodigy left without answering their question. Her thoughts were about second hour and the endurance training that they were going through.

Like usual, the students had to do a couple dozen of sit-ups, crunches, push-ups, and laps. And as usual, Ryoma and Shiro were the last two. But what really kept irking Ryoma that day was that one, both the Monkey Prince and Monkey King kept hitting on her, and two, all of the tennis regulars in her classes kept pestering her about what team she liked best and which one she would like to join.

The teenagers kept Ryoma from having her usual nap during fourth and fifth hour. Needless to say, Ryoma was very cranky when school had let out.

/////////…....End Flashback………Wednesday……..\\\\\\\\\\\

Class was almost over and Ryoma was still resting her head on her desk. Today had not been a good day for her. In first hour, she had been paired with Sanada-senpai and they had to create a miniature play on whatever they wanted. Things had been going well with them and Sanada-senpai was even talking to Ryoma in a normal tone of voice.

_See! Sanada-senpai is much cooler than Monkey King. I don't mind being his partner._ Little did Ryoma know, Sanada was also having similar thoughts about his partner. _I can't believe that I'm paired with Ryo-chan. She's much cuter and lively than Tezuka._ The two tennis players were huddled over their papers, seeming to be isolated in their own little world from the rest of the class.

Atobe, who was working with Jiro, was seeping with jealously as he looked at the couple. _Ore-sama will not let some one else take Ryo-chan! She will belong to Ore-sama! _ Jiro sighed as he stared at his captain who was staring at Ryoma who wasn't paying attention to him what so ever. _Poor Ryo-chan. Looks like life for you isn't going to be very peaceful for you in the future._

Meanwhile, Fuji, who was paired with Tezuka, was looking at his crush with opened eyes as he watched her give a giggle. Apparently, the Emperor had told her a joke. _Saa…I didn't even know that Sanada-kun had a sense of humor, let alone tell a joke._

And on the other side of the classroom, an isolated Yukimura was trying to work with Yanagi. But the data master of Rikkaidai kept pestering him about…..unimportant matters.

"Seichi, do you like Ryoma-chan?"

"…….."

"I bet you do. I think that it is 97 % likely that you like her. Are you going to get her to join Rikkaidai?"

"That doesn't matter right now. We have to finish this assignment."

"I think that it is highly probable that you will ask her to join if you have not already done so."

"Yanagi, that'll be twenty laps today."

"But, buchou. All I asked was if you were going to get her to join us or not."

"Make that fifty laps."

Yanagi quieted as he finally realized that his buchou wasn't really paying attention to him and was more concentrated on the Echizen-Sanada pair. He was giving off a low black aura that reeked of jealously and anger. _This will be good data for the future._ Yanagi thought as he filed the thought away from later.

But these events weren't really the things that made Ryoma have a bad day. Apparently, when everyone presented their stories, over half of them were about her! And the writers didn't even bother putting a different name for her in them. Some of them were so embarrassing that she couldn't resist trying to beat up the other students.

Sanada stopped her of course. But Ryoma was still irked. And to make matters worse for Ryoma, Luke-sensei had made enlarged copies of each story and posted them outside of the classroom for all to see. The rest of the day was filled of Ryoma-like tales that made Ryoma want to go no a rampage and beat everyone with a Y chromosome up.

Now fifth period was coming to an end. The bell rang and Ryoma, as per her usual, rushed out the door before the boys on the side of her even noticed that she was gone.

The tennis prodigy headed straight to her room. She had just opened her door when her cell phone rang. She was right on time.

"Hello?" Ryoma asked.

"So I am finally able to get in touch with you after all this time, and you don't even call me by name?" the person on the other line said.

"Ahahaha." Ryoma gave a small chuckle, "It's nice to know that you haven't changed since I saw you last year, Brock. How's Hiro?"

"He's doing well. He's bullying me as usual and giving the training menus from hell."

Ryoma smiled as she imagined the usually sweet-tempered red head bullying the much bigger and muscular bluenette. "Uh-huh. I'm sure he's bullying you. What do you have to say for yourself, Hiro?"

"Nani!?" Brock said. Another voice popped up into the conversation. "It's been so long Ryoma! I've been well and I so have not been bullying Brock."

"How are you on this line, Hiro? And who did you know that he was on the line with us Ryo-chan?"

"Easy." Ryoma smirked, not that either boy could see it. "Hiro is like a technical genius. Plus, I figured that if you could get my new number, then he must have been the one to give it to you anyway. I bet that you are even calling from his house."

"…."

Hiro and Ryoma laughed when Brock couldn't respond back. The thing was, Ryoma was right. Brock had called Ryoma straight after he had found out what her new number was from Hiro.

Little did he know however, Ryoma and Hiro had planned this though. Hiro had found out Ryoma's number a couple of weeks ago and had been catching up with her. They had planned for Brock to find out the tennis prodigy's number and hence, this is how Ryoma knew when to go to her room to pick up her phone.

"Hardy. Hardy. Har. You two are just a pair of jokesters. So anyway, I hear you are attending Phoenix Star Academy. That place is pretty well known even in Germany." Brock said.

"Yeah."

Hiro couldn't help but ask, "Are there a lot of guys? I hear the Academy is pretty famous for their handsome guys as well." The red head couldn't help but asking in order to tease his best friend.

"Nani? Those guys aren't handsome, are they? I mean, you wouldn't seriously go with any of them." Brock inputted quickly. He was starting to sweat bullets.

Ryoma answered truthfully, "There's a lot of cute guys here. Some of them are what I would call bishounens. And I guess there are a couple of guys I would date actually. Some of them even offered to take me out on a date a couple of times too." The prodigy girl rolled her eyes as she remembered the Atobe brothers' antics.

Brock dropped the phone. He was shocked at Ryoma's response. Hiro was frowning. He didn't expect Ryoma to find any of the guys attractive. _Maybe it's time that I call that guy._ Ryoma was wondering what that loud noise was. Then she noticed the time.

"Ack! I'm gonna be late for dinner. I'll talk to you guys another time. Bye Brock. Bye Hiro!"

Brock was still stunned a bit and could only mumble a goodbye. Hiro gently replaced the handset to the wall. He was deep in thought. Then the red head quickly got up from his chair and searched for his address book. He found the number that he was looking for.

Hiro dialed the number. Soon, someone picked up after about four rings.

"It's me, Hiro." Hiro said, beginning the conversation.

"What do you want?"

"Me and Brock just got off the phone with Ryo-chan."

"How is she?" the voice was asking in concern.

"She's good. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Hiro waited a few seconds before the voice got impatient.

"Then why the hell are you wasting seconds on an international call? Hurry up and tell me what you want to tell me!" the voice sounded agitated.

Hiro smiled. "Ryoma said that there are tons of cute guys at Phoenix Star Academy. And that she wouldn't mind dating them. I heard she even had a few offers already."

A low growl could be heard on the other end. Finally the voice asked, "What do you think we should do then?"

"What do you think about the weather in Japan right now? I hear the Academy is a lovely spot nowadays." Hiro chuckled. "It's always good to learn about new cultures, right my friend?"

The voice on the other end gave a loud laugh, surprising the other people in the same room as him. "I like this idea of yours, Hiro."

"I can only imagine, Leo. I can only imagine."

Both teenagers laughed for a bit until they stopped and finalized their plans. _Ryoma is going to be in for such a surprise._ Both boys thought and gave a Cheshire smile.

Meanwhile, at Phoenix Star Academy, one Ryoma Echizen gave a quick procession of sneezes. _I must be coming down with a cold or something._ The girl only shrugged her shoulders and finished eating her dinner. Little did she know that in the weeks to come, there were going to be some surprises in store for her.

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And that is the end of Chapter 8.

I'm so sorry for the late update. Things were just crazy at my place. Anyway, looks like Ryoma is going to be having some surprises in the future!

Thanks for all those that read and reviewed. Don't forget to vote! Polls end when Chapter 11 gets posted.

Updated 5/19/09


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

Author's Notes: I have officially started the dreaded thing called the workforce. So I apologize in advance for the erratic updates….

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Also, the first sentences about Ryoma's mom and dad in her essay were supposed to be scratched through, but it didn't transfer when I uploaded the newest chapter.

Don't forget to see the new poll and vote!!!

========Chapter 9: Get Ready to Run…==========

---Time Skip to the End of the Day….Practice—

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The princess of tennis was bored. She was currently waiting with the other freshmen in courtyard A with the upperclassmen. _When are they going to get this started already?_ Ryoma looked around and noticed two things. There were only three girls on the courts themselves including herself. And secondly, none of the regulars for any of the three teams were present.

"Man, what's taking them so long?" Horio said loudly, catching his friends' attention and some of the bystanders nearby. "I want to show off my skills already to the three buchous!"

"Shhh!" Katsuo and Kachiro said to the colorfully dressed freshman. They noticed the glares that their senpais were giving their group. Sakuno and Tomoka were hiding slightly behind Ryoma. They were a little uncomfortable around the male-dominated court.

The tennis prodigy didn't care about the glares that the upperclassmen were giving her. As far as she was concerned, she was going to just be in the club and not attract any more attention to herself. _Of course, being next to Tomoka and Horio isn't going to help much. At least, Tomo-chan has the sense to be quiet right now though._

"Oy, Horio, be quiet for a second." Ryoma said in a bored voice. "There are obviously people here who won't care for your bragging unlike us."

"EH?! But I have three years of experience and I totally rock at tennis. Why in a year or two, the buchous will be begging me to be a regular!

Several low growls could be heard around the group. Kachiro and Katsuo slapped their hands onto their loudmouth friend's mouth. Sakuno and Tomoka were hiding more behind Ryoma. The damage was done however.

A couple of the senpais shouldered their way to the freshmen group. Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the male in the lead. It was Arai-senpai from third hour chemistry. The girl still assumed a bored expression on her face. Her friends were still hiding slightly behind her. Kachiro and Katsuo shuffled their feet and were also hiding slightly behind her now. Horio was standing somewhat by himself on the right of his friends. The trio of upperclassmen stopped in front of the group.

"Oy! Freshmen, don't even try thinking about trying out for the regulars!" (randomly named) Yai-senpai said. He flicked his trailing brown bangs to the side. His black eyes were narrowed at the freshmen. _Damn brats think that they are all that. HAH!_

"All that you little brats are going to be doing is conditioning until the summer break." (also randomly named) Taki-senpai grumbled in a deep voice. He didn't really mind the freshmen, but he seriously did not like it when people underestimated their tennis teams. "The regulars have training menus harsher than many of you can even think of."

Ryoma wasn't feeling up to her senpais looking down on her and her friends. The girl gave a loud and noticeable sigh, catching the others attention. She turned to the other freshmen. "Let's go already. I'd rather stand over in the shade anyway."

The tennis prodigy started to walk off. Her hat was tipped low over her face and her two braids, courtesy of Sakuno, were swishing back and forth on her back. Then Ryoma jerked back and a stinging sensation was felt on the back of her head. Angry veins appeared on her forehead as she turned around and saw that Arai had grabbed one of her braids.

"Oy, freshman. Who said that you could leave? You didn't give us upperclassmen a proper greeting or goodbye." The taller student glared at the girl. Ryoma glared back with eyes filled with revenge.

"Just because you were born earlier doesn't mean anything. If anything, that makes you pretty much dumber than me because I got into your class, didn't I" Ryoma smirked at him. Arai's face was turning red. The other freshmen were wisely hanging back with Taki and Yai-senpai when they saw Arai's red face.

_Damn bitch thinks that she is better than me! Just because she's cute doesn't mean anything. I'll show her how useless it is to go against me!_ Arai gave an evil smirk. He grabbed the front collar of Ryoma's shirt and brought her to his eye level. Ryoma's feet were hanging several inches from the ground.

"You little brat. I don't care how smart you think you are, but in this place, skills mean everything." Arai clenched the handful of shirt material, tightening his grip near Ryoma's throat. He was ignoring the gasps and warnings to stop coming from his friends and the freshmen.

Arai was grinning at the apparently frightened Ryoma until he noticed that she was smirking at him.

"Oh, so the senpai thinks that he is better because he has the skills to back his word? Mada Mada Dane."

The boy's face turned purple when he realized that Ryoma was mocking him. "I'm one of the best players in Seigaku before you get to the regulars. Almost none of the non-Seigaku regulars have beaten in a match!" Arai boasted loudly. "Even Taki and Yai can't beat me!"

Yai and Taki were slightly mad at his proclamation. Unfortunately, the two juniors knew that Arai really did have the skills and they too had been defeated by their friend. Still, it didn't mean that they liked hearing their defeats broadcasted to everyone in hearing distance.

"Gee. Like I really care who you've beaten before." Ryoma said in a sarcastic tone. _I've played against people who you would give a left arm for you to just meet them, let alone play against them. My father is Nanjiro Echizen for Kami's sake!_ The prodigious girl was getting bored with this whole situation anyway.

"Look, Arai-senpai. Why don't we just go our separate ways and let bygones be bygones." Ryoma was really not feeling up to playing when she didn't even want to be here at all. The other upperclassmen watching them argue were impressed by the freshman girl's level of maturity.

Arai smirked even wider. His grip on her shirt grew tighter. "No way, you brat. We're going to have a match. Right here. Right now." He looked at her bag of tennis rackets next to her. _This girl brings at least three rackets here? How cocky._ "You already have a racket. So let's get started."

Ryoma was about to decline when Arai spoke again. "Unless you're scared of course?"

Ryoma snapped her mouth shut. Nobody calls her a coward. Silently, the girl opened her racket case and took out a red racket. Arai grinned when he realized that his prey had fallen for his ploy. _Now all that is left is to humiliate her so badly, she won't even want to show her face here at all!_

"Let's go." Arai led the way to Court B. Ryoma followed. The restless crowd of tennis members followed, hoping to see some action before the regulars would finally arrive. Little did everyone know, several of the regulars had already appeared and were watching the scenes with amusement, interest, and curiosity. They too followed the crowd silently.

---On the Courts---

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"Which?" Arai asked the girl. "Smooth." Arai spun the racket and let go of it. The racket showed that it was Ryoma who would serve first. The two players went to their respective corners.

"Don't cry when I beat you!" Arai taunted loudly to the girl. _This is going to be a piece of cake._

Ryoma smirked. The tennis prodigy bounced the ball once, twice, and a third time. Then she tossed up the ball and hit it mid-air with a right-handed serve.

The speed of the ball caught her opponent off guard. The teenager tried to catch up to the ball, but it was too fast. Some of the bystanders were shocked to see Arai miss the ball.

"No touch…no touch ace!" Someone said loudly. Murmurs among the crowd could be heard. Arai glared at their audience. "That was just a fluke. I wasn't even ready."

Ryoma served the ball again. This time, she served a ball with a twist. The ball quickly made its way to the other side of the court. Arai caught up to the ball and was waiting for it to bounce back up. The tennis ball spun in the ground for a few seconds and bounced back up just like he wanted. Except, it bounced towards his face!

Arai stumbled backwards, making the ball narrowly miss his face. The audience was struck with awe as they saw that special move.

"Twist? That was the twist serve?" Taki asked in an awed voice to no one in particular.

Someone, however, did answer him. "Yes, that was the twist serve. A perfected one at that."

The ones closest to the voice, which had been the freshmen group and Arai's friends, turned to the source of the voice. Taki and Yai blanched at who they saw. The freshmen were nervous when they felt the immense aura coming from the newcomers.

"What is exactly going on?" A soft voice asked the two juniors. His tone allowed for no lying.

Taki and Yai quickly explained what had happened before their arrival. They were awed by the aura that the man in the middle was giving. Even though he wasn't captain of their team, his presence was no less than Tezuka-buchou's was.

"Yanagi, Kirihara, I want you two to place close attention to this match." Yukimura told his two teammates. "I have a feeling that Ryoma is more than she appears to be."

----Meanwhile, on the other side of the court----

"Saa…I didn't know that Ryoma could do the twist serve." Fuji watched the match happening. The score was now 3-2, Ryoma's lead. _But I don't think that she is going all out._

"Hmm. Ore-sama has the feeling that ore-sama's hime is not going all out." Atobe had walked up to Court B as well and was currently standing a little apart from Fuji.

Fuji opened his eyes at the tennis diva. "She's not your princess. I bet if she heard that, you'd be eating dirt. Monkey King." The tensai of Seigaku chuckled at the thought.

Atobe was not amused._ That horrendous name is spreading!! NO!!!_ "Know this, Shusuke Fuji. Ryoma will be mine!"

Fuji and Atobe were glaring at each other until a shocked voiced announced something.

"She…she just did Yagyuu of Rikkaidai's Laser Beam!!" a random member said loudly.

The score was now 4-2, Ryoma's lead. Arai was standing shocked. He was sweating massively, and yet his opponent was barely breaking a sweat. _She…she can do the twist serve and YAgyuu-senpai's Laser Beam? Just who is this girl?_

That question was on everyone's mind as they watched a desperate Arai serve his bullet serve. To another average player, the ball would have seemed extraordinarily fast, but to someone of Ryoma's caliber, it was just a normal speed.

_This is the so-called strength of Seigaku? Sure the guy's not a regular, but still…_ Ryoma was bored with the level of playing that her opponent was giving her. _Yagyuu-senpai had more of a challenge at least!!_

"40-15! Echizen lead." The referee, another random member, announced as Ryoma did a twist return to Arai's bullet serve.

----At the same time---

"Ryoma-chan is very good, neh Yangai-senpai?" Kirihara asked the data master. "I want to play against her soon." He licked his lips as he watched Arai get into the motions of serving.

"You just might, Akaya." His captain said softly. Then he had a thought.

"Yanagi, Akaya. What would you think about having a new member?"

Yanagi smiled as he thought about his captain's question. He watched Arai serve before answering. "We do need some new blood. Once we get to college level, Kirihara will be the only regular left…"

Kirihara gave his senpais a confused look. "Who are you thinking about buchou? All of the decent guys are already taken."

Yanagi and Yukimura sweat dropped at their kouhai's slow understanding. Yukimura gave a sigh before responding to his teammamte.

"Keep on watching the match, Akaya, and you'll know who I mean."

All three males turned their heads to watch the ending of the match.

-----On the Courts-----

Arai had just served his bullet serve. His legs were shaking from the sheer exhaustion. _ Why am I so tired? She's been playing the same amount of time that I have._ A struggling Arai ran to the left of the court as he tried to return the ball that Ryoma had sent back.

The smiling girl's smirk grew wider as she watched Arai bend his knees lower to return her ball. It seemed that he didn't realize what she was doing. A quick look around the court allowed her to see that the more perceptive of the tennis players noticed her plan. _It seems that mainly all of the regulars noticed what I was doing. I don't know about that boy with the spider-do though. He seems a little slow_ Ryoma thought in a calm manner. She heard the ball coming back on her side of the court and turned her attention back to the game.

The prodigy girl returned the ball with normal strength and speed. Anyone who had been watching the match earlier on noticed that she didn't show any abnormal strength or speed. It just seemed like she always knew where to go and could always catch up to the ball no matter what.

Ryoma was getting bored with toying with Arai. _It's getting too crowded here for my own tastes anyway._ She waited for Arai to hit the ball back to her side of the court and got into position. A position that Yanagi and Kirihara remembered seeing before in another match, at another time.

Arai had just returned the ball and noticed that Ryoma was already in position to return it. The girl's ability to know when and where to receiver his ball was freaking him out. But to see that she was already in position to return prompted the sluggish boy to head to the direction that Ryoma had hit the ball in.

He barely made it in time and waited for the ball to bounce back up. And he waited some more. Both he and the audience were shocked to see that the ball spiraled itself into the ground and did not bounce back up.

The referee was facing Ryoma and was too in awe to say anything. A bored Ryoma just said "Game and Match. Echizen win."

Already on shaky legs, Arai stumbled to the center of the court, meeting Ryoma halfway.

"At least you have some manners." Ryoma muttered before shaking the boy's hand with her left. Her right hand was holding her racket.

"What…what was that last move called?" A tired Arai had to ask. His pride as a tennis player demanded that he know that move that had defeated him.

Ryoma stared thoughtfully at him. "I never thought about a name for it before." She was quiet for a few moments before finally answering her senpai. "I call it the **Bass Drive (1)"**

The teenage girl left the court, not looking back once was Arai collapsed on the ground. Taki and Yai made their way carefully to their friend, giving Ryoma space when they got near her. Said girl made her way to her friends. She ignored the mutterings around her and gave a blank stare at her friends.

By now, the freshmen group knew Ryoma enough to know that her expressionless face meant that she did not want to talk about anything during that moment. And so they all stood in relative silence. Other tennis players were staring at her as well.

They were somewhat quiet despite the low whispering that many of them did until a voice interrupted the silence.

"What is going on here?" A voice that brooked no foolishness sounded near the crowd. Everyone turned to Tezuka in his regular's uniform standing with the other regulars. His stern face and strict posture radiated a respectful aura.

Yukimura, Yanagi, Kirihara, Atobe, and Fuji made their way to Tezuka. Tezuka nodded his head slightly at the other two captains. They did so likewise. Fuji calmly explained what had happened.

Tezuka was inwardly surprised to find out that Arai had acted so rashly and disgracefully. And that he had lost to a female kouhai. _Why does girl always seem to be at the source of trouble whenever my team gets around her?_ The mature looking teenager noticed the looks that his rivals/friends were giving her. _And now I have to deal with Seichi and Keigo? Kami help me!_

Outwardly, Tezuka's face grew sterner. He turned to Arai, who had been helped out of the court by his friends. Arai and his two lackeys gulped at their buchou's expression.

"Arai, Taki, Yai. As punishment for disrupting practice, that will be fifty laps each."

Then the Seigaku captain turned to the rest of the crowd. "In fact, all Seigaku members will be doing 25 laps for not stopping the match."

An idiot member groaned loudly enough for his captain to hear. "Make that 30 laps now. For all of you. Now get to it!"

Before the members could start and give their buchou a reason not to add them more laps, Yukimura stopped them. The bluenette also emitted a powerful aura that the other members were in awe of.

"Wait."

Tezuka turned to Seichi. Normally the bluenette did not interfere with his team, and his sudden interference caused Tezuka to lift a surprised eyebrow at his friend.

Yukimura chuckled before addressing the throng of member before the captains.

"I have a better idea. Since none of you old members tried to stop the match, all of you will be running the thirty laps as well."

Some of the braver (and stupider) members tried to protest until Yukimura gave a sweet smile. A sweet smile that promised retribution for those that went against his wishes. The rowdy members shuddered at his smile.

Not to be left out, Atobe also added some news of his own.

"Ore-sama thinks that if many of them are already going to be running, the new members should be running as well. In fact, this could be a good way to test endurance and stamina. Neh, Kabaji?"

Out of nowhere, the towering Kabaji appeared and said, "Usu."

The new members, mainly freshmen, were freaked out to see that tall player appear out of nowhere. Ryoma just gave a little wave to her friend. He waved back at the girl.

The other members of the club didn't know what to be more freaked out by: the fact that Ryoma was Kabaji's friend or by the sight of Kabaji smiling at a girl.

Tezuka and Yukimura thought over Atobe's plan. They decided that he had a good plan for once. It was Tezuka who had addressed to crowd again.

"All new members will grab a black armband from Yukimura to show that they are new members." Tezuka gestured to his friend standing on the side of him. The captain of Rikkaidai had grabbed a box of black armbands out of nowhere and was holding it out for new members to take. "Old members will run thirty laps. Fuj-san and Yanagi-san will be keeping track of your laps."

The Hyotei captain gave a warning to his fellow club members. "And don't even try of thinking about cheating. You don't want to know the consequences." The purpled hair diva shuddered as he remembered the damn juices that Seigaku's manager **(2)** made.

Other members of the crowd also shuddered when they realized that the punishment would be Penal Tea. They felt sorry for the new members.

After all the new members grabbed an armband, Ryoma and her friends included, Yukimura-buchou made them run.

Even the older members had to run laps as well, leaving the three captains and regulars behind to do their own business.

Yukimura turned to his two fellow captains. "This is going to be a fun year, isn't it?"

The bluenette chuckled while Atobe laughed alongside him. Tezuka only pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought of the times to come. _Why am I the only sane one out of this bunch?_

The laughter of the two captains trailed behind the running tennis members, both old and new. The majority of them except for one girl gave a shudder as the captains' laughter wafted after them. It was like a premonition of pain to come.

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.Notes:

**(1): In music there are four parts of a chorus. They are SATB, which are soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The move is called Bass Drive because the ball drove itself into the ground as low as it could and stopped itself from bouncing. Plus Ryoma is interested in music so I wanted to add some part of that into tennis as well. It'll make sense later on….**

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**(2): Seigaku's manager is Inui. But he is also a player.**

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And Chapter 9 is finally down.

I think I might be doing weekly updates only now. It's funny how when I had school, I had updated faster, but now that it is summer and I have no school, I have less time to type.

What irony.

So anyway, don't forget to read and review. It's easy. You click on that green link right below this page……and Voila!

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Updated 5/26/09


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: My sister would be the first person to tell all of you that I don't own Prince of Tennis or its extraordinarily handsome guys.

Author's notes: My "loving" sister tells me that I have a lot of grammatical errors in my previous chapters. So I will try to do better from now on. And I found out that my sister is writing a story of her own!!! Yippee!!!

This regular conversation (usually in Japanese)

_These are thoughts_.

Yukimura won the poll. Then it was Fuji, Sanada, and lastly Atobe!!

=====Chapter 10: After the First Day…======

"Whoever invented laps must have been smoking something…" Ryoma muttered to her friends as they struggled to keep up with their senpais. Tomoka, Kachiro, and Katsuo nodded in between breaths. The tennis prodigy could hear loud gasps coming from behind her and turned around to find its source.

The loud-mouthed Horio was struggling to keep up with the others. He was emitting noisy, quivering gasps as his strength was slowly being sapped. The freshmen were only on their fifteenth lap, and Sakuno, the least athletic of the friends, was already on the sidelines, cheering her friends on.

_Looks like Horio is about to give up…._Ryoma thought as she noticed the condition that her friend was in. As they were all rounding the corner of the court, she noticed that Kachiro, Katsuo, and Tomoka were also winding down. _Damn…I didn't think that they would tire so soon. _ While Ryoma was musing about her friends' conditions, several things were happening at the same time as well.

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Slightly behind the freshmen group were also three other freshmen. One of them in particular was staring at the green-haired beauty. Every now and then, soft sighs could be heard coming from the boy. His two friends could only tsk and shake their heads at the sight of their leader.

Jin Chan turned to his twin brother, Wei. "He's really too sad to watch."

"Atobe-sama is going to be mad at us for letting Shiro get like this." The more serious of the brothers said.

Jin sighed. "And he just got over from that bad break up with Meiko-chan…"

Wei rolled his eyes at his brother's wistful voice. "She was a two-timer and a lying prick. I can't believe that you and Shiro aren't even mad at her!"

His younger brother shook his head at his brother. His green eyes were filled with sympathy as he stared at Wei's stone face. "I'm sure that she has grown up from that immature girl that she was before. And Shiro is a much stronger person than before."

Wei could only stare at his twin with disbelieving eyes. _This dobe was just moaning over the fact that Shiro has fallen for that Ryoma chick. And now he's defending him!_

Wei couldn't believe his brother and expressed his displeasure. "THIS ALL HAPPENED JUST LAST YEAR!!"

Jin rubbed his left ear. He hated it when his brother yelled at him. _Geez. He didn't have to yell like that. I was only saying what I thought was true. _Jin was about to open his mouth to say something about his brother's behavior until someone beat him to it.

"I'm sorry."

The twin brothers turned their identical green-eyed stare onto their best friend. Said best friend with his somewhat long hair in a short ponytail continued to look ahead, ignoring the question in their eyes.

"I'm sorry for making you guys worry. I'm still made at Meiko-chan, you know. It's just that…" Shiro took a deep breath. His two closest friends were surprised at how unsteady their leader's breathing was. "It's just that she's not worth it. And…and I just didn't want you guys to worry about me…"

Jin's gaze turned soft. _It would be like Shiro to act like a fool to not make us worry. I mean... he never acted like his brother before he met __**her**__._ Wei was thinking similar thoughts.

"Is that why you acted like your brother this past summer?" Wei asked the second heir to the Atobe Corporation. "You always did give me the heebee jeebees when you do that ridiculous pose."

Shiro smiled softly. The teenager didn't notice the giggles coming from his fan club watching him in the crowd. He also didn't notice that his brother was splitting his time watching the love of his life and his little brother. Keigo was slightly startled to see Shiro smile. _How long has it been since I've seen him smile like that? _

The captain of Hyotei was lost in his own musing about his little brother's behavior until he hear a loud shout come from said brother.

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"YOSH!! I'LL GET HER TO GO OUT WITH ME IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!"

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Everyone looked at Shiro. Jin and Wei looked away from their leader and whistled a little tune. Ryoma just muttered mada mada dane while her friends, who were now all watching from the sidelines, laughed at the boy's declaration.

Keigo was mildly amused at his little brother's antics. _I wonder who the lucky little lady is. _The diva captain thought about his imouto's behavior during the last year and was happy to see that he was feeling more like his usual self. _I can't wait to meet the girl who helped Shiro get over that little….witch. _Unconsciously, Keigo started to hum the nursery song, "Mary had a Little Lamb", which made the other players around him start to edge away from him.

_It seems that Keigo has finally cracked._ Oshitari thought before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The tensai of Hyotei looked past Shiro and at the fading backside of another figure. _I guess he's happy that Shiro is back to normal. But besides Shiro, there seems to be one other interesting character this year._

Before Atobe could go onto a second verse of "Mary had a Little Lamb," loud screams could be heard coming from nearby. The remaining runners stopped in their tracks and looked in the direction of where Fuji and Yanagi-senpai were standing. There were several of the tennis members lying on the ground. Some of them were foaming at the mouth and others were stretching their arms out as if they were asking for Kami's help. Sadly, they didn't get any.

The two regulars noticed that everyone was staring at them. Fuji opened his closed eyes to reveal two gleaming cerulean orbs. He pasted a delicate, yet sweet smile on his face that didn't fool anyone who knew the tensai.

"Saa...I don't know why they fell down like that." Fuji shrugged his shoulders. He turned to his partner in crime…to his partner in timing. "Do you know why they are acting like this, Yanagi-san?"

The data master of Rikkaidai finished scribbling in his notebook before closing it and looking at his fellow tennis player. "I think they are just too overjoyed at being rehydrated after spending such a long time running."

"Yes. That must be it." Fuji smiled an angelic smile that made all the girls in the audience 'aw' and make hearts flutter out of their eyes. The other tennis players around him shuddered at his smile.

Yanagi gave a small chuckle. "It's thanks to Inui-san that all of our players are in prime condition. Right my friend?"

A figure appeared from behind Fuji and Yanagi. A bizarre background materialized as Inui rose out of nowhere.

An evil gleam skittered across from his glasses. "Yes, with this new and improved Penal Tea V. 3, everyone will be more energetic." The manager of Seigaku lifted a large glass mug of the "tea" for everyone to see. Black smog rose out of the mug and the purple liquid oozed out green foam. A noxious odor could be smelt from across the courtyard, and even some of the audience members fainted after inhaling its scent.

Ryoma, Jin, Shiro, and Wei, the only freshmen left running, turned white at the thought of drinking the "wonderous" drink. _This must be the punishment Monkey King/Atobe-sama/Nii-san_ _was talking about!_ They all thought simulataneously.

The upperclassmen who had already tasted at least one concoction of Inui's freaked at the sight of a third version of "Penal Tea." The regulars who were on the sidelines watching the show gave breaths of relief as they realized that they were safe for another day. _Thank Kami that I'm not the one out there today_!

Inui noticed that remaining runners had stopped in their tracks: Arai, Taki, Yai, Ryoma, Shiro, Jin, Wei, and a dozen or so second and third years. He caught Fuji's and Yanagi's attention. The data master jerked his head towards the runners. The smiling brunette tensai immediately thought of a fun idea. And like the majority of his ideas, they usually caused someone to be miserable.

"Saa…I have a good idea. Since all of you runners are just standing around and are basically in the same spot, I think we should have a little competition. Don't you think so too, Yanagi-san?"

The third Demon of Rikkaidai smirked as he caught on to his friend's plan. "Yes, I think so too. And for the winner, there will be an all-expense paid buffet to Kawamura Sushi courtesy of the tennis club."

Loud cheering could be heard from the remaining runners. Yanagi waited until they stopped cheering before continuing. "But, for the losers….They must drink a large class of Inui's special tea." He gave a smile as he turned to his childhood friend. "Will you do the honors of pouring the loser's drink, my old friend?"

Inui chuckled evilly and pushed up his glasses. "Of course. Anything for an old friend."

"Now that everything is settled, the contest starts…now!" The smiling tensai said softly.

Many of the second and third years were still lingering around. Arai, Taki, and Yai were still stupefied by their senpais' freaky contest. They didn't notice that the number of people around them were fewer than before.

Fuji chuckled and caught their attention. Seeing their befuddled looks, Fuji decided to take pity (yeah right!) on them. "It seems that the first years are ahead already. All of you should be getting a move on….unless." Fuji gave a sadistic smile. "Unless all of you want to end up like your friends here."

Clouds of dust were his only response as the runners took off. Fuji chuckled before making one last announcement. "And don't forget! The last five runners of each round are counted as the losers!!!"

"KUSO!!!" could be heard from the runners.

Yanagi, Inui, and Fuji let out evil chuckles as they plotted more "helpful" plots to improve the teams. Momoshiro and Kirihara, the two players closest to the plotting trio, shuddered at the sight of their senpais. If they had bothered to look close enough, they might have been able to make out the shadows of their forked tails and horns on their heads. But the two second years were already plagued with nightmares from their scheming senpais and didn't need the further trauma inflicted to their psyche.

Time passed and soon it was only the four freshmen and Arai and his lackeys left. Some of the upperclassmen were gossiping that the only reason the freshmen were remaining was because they had a head start. Of course, some of the tennis regulars, such as Sanada, Yagyuu, and Kabaji, were taking note of said persons and were going to enact some punishments of their own later. Some punishments that would make even some of Fuji's plans seem like child's play. _No one talks trash about Ryoma when we're around!!_ The three over-protective senpais thought together.

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_Geez…this school is crazy!!_ Ryoma thought as she continued running. She remembered the penalty for the losers of the marathon. _What kind of school lets students poison other students in the name of 'improvement'?_ As the girl mused to herself, some of the other runners around her were also lost in their own thoughts.

Taki and Yai were thinking in the same train of thought: _Whoa…I didn't expect these freshmen to be so good. Are these guys even human?_ They thought as they continued to struggle to keep up.

_Waah!! Ryoma is so cute in her shorts and tank! If only she was wearing a skirt…_ A certain freshman was thinking as he gazed wistfully at his crush.

Arai wasn't thinking much at all. The instinct to survive and live another day overcame filled his head. Jin and Wei were just musing about what they were going to do over the weekend.

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It was the final corner before the finish line. Everyone in the audience including the remaining tennis players was anticipating who would make it first. A large cloud of dust blocked the view of the runners, making it very hard to see who was first and who was last. The watchers were holding their breaths as they waited for the cloud dust to settle.

"Oh My GOSH!!" Tomoka screamed loudly. "GO RYO-CHAN!!"

Her excellent vision had allowed her to catch the first glimpses of the runners before anyone else since she was also the closest to the corner as well.

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It was Ryoma and Shiro tied for the lead. Arai and his two friends were running closely behind. Jin and Wei were struggling to pass up their senpais. All of them had looks of desperation on their faces as they all were desperate not to be the one who had to suffer the punishment.

But like all competitions, there must be a loser and a winner.

"Saa…since it was a tie for first between Ryo-chan and Shiro-san, you two will run one last lap." Fuji declared. Then he turned to the five losers. Arai and the others gulped at the look that their senpai was giving them. Yanagi took over the race after Fuji left to help Inui prepare the punishments.

"Now, we will have one final lap between you two." Yanagi motioned for the two freshmen to stand side by side. "On the count of three."

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

Ryoma and Shiro ran off. Shiro had a slight lead due to his longer legs, but Ryoma was running close behind. Before they could make it that far, however, loud screams could be heard coming from the starting line. Shiro and Ryoma turned around as they were running and saw that losers were lying on the ground. Their bodies were twitching and foam was coming out of their mouths.

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Ryoma shuddered and turned her head away from the sight. _I am definitely not drinking that!_ The tennis prodigy was so focused on running and not wanting to drink Inui's Penal Tea, that she didn't notice that Shiro had stopped after seeing his friends acting like zombies.

**Crash**

Shiro fell backwards onto the ground. Ryoma was falling down in the same path. The boy wrapped his arms around the beautiful girl to help protect her. Ryoma, however, wasn't use to guys 'hugging' her and was shaking her arms like a bird. She was trying to catch her balance. It wasn't working.

A small cloud of dust and sand arose from the ground. Sakuno and Kachiro, the two people who had been closest to the pair, gasped and blushed at what they saw. Mixed reactions filled the court as other bystanders saw the sight. Some of the tennis players were looking with envy. Others were mildly amused while several of them were interested at the sight before them. Many of the girls were jumping up and down at the cute sight before them.

Shiro was lying on the ground and his arms were wrapped around Ryoma. He had positioned his body so that Ryoma was lying comfortably on him. This made the tennis girl to be slightly curled on top of Shiro. Her head was resting between her opponent's neck and shoulder. One of Ryoma's braids had come undone, and her silky emerald hair was spread out over Shiro's chest.

Camera shutters and flashes could be heard and seen around the court. Before Shiro could really register what was going on, three voices chilled him to the bone. He looked up to see the scariest people looking down at him: Yukimura-senpai, Fuji-senpai, and his own brother, Kei-nii.

"What exactly do you think that you are doing?" Yukimura asked in a velvety voice. The Rikkaidai captain was emitting an aura filled with coldness and the promise of retribution.

The tensai of Seigaku was not looking happy either. "What do you think that you are doing to Ryo-chan?" Fuji's eyes were wide open and his normally smiling mouth was set in a grim line.

"I…I wasn't doing any…anything wrong!!" Shiro stuttered out. The combined death glares that his three senpais were giving him freaked him out.

"Then why don't You GET OUT FROM UNDER RYOMA-HIME!!!" The captain of Hyotei shouted at his brother.

Not a second later did Shiro wiggle his way out from under Ryoma. However, Ryoma wasn't aware of what was going around her. Fuji frowned. He leaned down to shake Ryoma's shoulder. She wasn't waking up.

Yukimura and Atobe leaned down on the ground as well. The two captains felt for any injuries on Ryoma's body.

Blood appeared on Atobe's fingers as he felt Ryoma's temple.

"It seems that she bumped her head when she fell down." Atobe said out loud.

Footsteps could be heard behind the small group. The group looked up to see Tezuka.

"I let practice end already." Sure enough, as they looked around, there were only a few scatterings of members milling around the courtyard. Only the freshmen and regulars were remaining on the courts.

Tezuka noticed the blood on his friend's fingers. He frowned at the lack of action that his friends were doing. "Why don't one of you take Echizen-chan to the nurse's office? It looks like a mild concussion to me."

Fuji and Atobe brightened up at the idea of holding Ryoma in their arms and being her knight-in-shining armor. Both of them reached out to grab her, and both of them glared at each other when they noticed the other's actions. They both stood up.

Fuji glared at his friend. "Why don't you let me take care of this, Monkey King?"

"Psh! Ore-sama is more than able to take care of this matter."

"I asked politely. I already said that I could handle this."

"No. Ore-sama will handle this matter."

The tensai of Seigaku and the captain of Hyotei continued to argue. Finally, both Fuji and Atobe reached down to pick up Ryoma, only to find that she was nowhere on the ground or around them. They looked up and gave Tezuka a demanding, yet questioning look.

Tezuka sighed before answering them. "While you two were arguing, Seichi took Echizen-chan to the infirmary himself."

Both Fuji and Keigo cursed under their breath. _I can't let Ryoma fall for Seichi!_ The two tennis players thought before leaving to go their own separate ways.

Tezuka could only pinch the bridge of his nose as he too walked away. He had a feeling that this school year was going to be one hell of a school year.

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-----In the Infirmary-----

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Yukimura had just placed his crush onto a soft bed. The girl was in a deep sleep as the nurse, Sayu-sensei, examined her patient. After a few minutes, she proclaimed Ryoma to be A-Ok!

"It's so nice to see young men such as yourself treat your girlfriends in such a gentlemanly manner." Sayu-sensei said.

Yukimura blushed. His cheeks were colored faintly with red. "Ah… I'm not her boyfriend."

Sayu-sensei's jaw dropped. "But you two look so cute together and you treated her so gently!"

"No." The captain of Rikkaidai sadly said. "I'm not her boyfriend."

The nurse of Star Academy silently left the bed area. As she walked quietly to her desk, she couldn't help but look back at the effeminate boy. She saw that Yukimura had undone Ryoma's other braid and had smoothed out her hair. Sayu-sensei wasn't able to resist giving a small squeal as she watched Yukimura start singing softly to Ryoma while he brushed her hair.

_If those two aren't really going out, then I'm going to set them up!_

Sayu thought about her own high school love from before. And she remembered the chances that passed him and her up. And the lonely days that she was used to now.

_I'm not going to let that happen to someone else! Besides! They look so cute together!!_

Sayu Masahiro left the room to give Yukimura some personal time with Ryoma. Inside, Yukimura, the famed Child of God in the Japanese High School Tennis Circuit, couldn't help but give a shudder. _Why does it feel like someone is going to involve me in a plot? A plot that may be more trouble for me than what it's worth?_

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Meanwhile, the slumbering Ryoma was struggling to wake up. The tennis girl had heard a soft voice humming close by and could feel a brush sliding through her hair. The atmosphere felt much similar to how her brother treated her when she was sick.

Ryoma opened her eyes and saw a person's head shadowed by the room light on the ceiling. Her vision was slightly fuzzy.

"Is that you Ryo?" Ryoma asked the figure. She had forgotten where she was.

The figure lurched back. Ryoma struggled to sit up.

"I've missed you Ryo!" the girl said in a shaky voice.

The figure flinched before responding. "Who's Ryo?"

The soft voice brought Ryoma back to reality. Her eyes widened and cleared as she saw who had been actually sitting beside her.

"Yukimura-senpai!"

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And now Chapter 10 is done! I'm so happy!

This chapter helped bring in some new characters and some mysterious histories of some of the characters in my story.

I hope all of you enjoyed it.

Please read and review. Thanks to all those that reviewed,

Don't forget to vote on the new poll. Each vote helps out a lot!

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Updated 5/31/09.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Author's Notes: It's been almost a week since I've updated. One of these days, I hope to update at least two chapters at once…..I wonder when that day will come. Anyway, there seems to be some confusion about Ryoma's pairing. I've mentioned in previous chapters for people to vote on the poll about who Ryoma should end up with.

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Well, after a lot of people voted on the official poll that had been located on my profile page, Yukimura ended up with 63 votes and Fuji had 44 votes. If I were to tally the ones from the reviews as well, then Yukimura would still beat Fuji with 66 to 52. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.

I hope all of you enjoy this latest chapter. Thanks to **Plush **and **Milky Etoile** for the correction on the correct word to use for younger brother. Thanks to all those that read, reviewed, and enjoyed the story thus far.

.And taking a page out of my big sis's book, I'm going to try to add some character descriptions at the end of each chapter or so.

This is regular conversation. (Usually in Japanese.)

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation spoken in a different language **_**(Language)**_

Chapter 11: Do you like….?==============

.**PREVIOUSLY…..**

"Is that you Ryo?" Ryoma asked the figure. She had forgotten where she was.

The figure lurched back. Ryoma struggled to sit up.

"I've missed you Ryo!" the girl said in a shaky voice.

The figure flinched before responding. "Who's Ryo?"

The soft voice brought Ryoma back to reality. Her eyes widened and cleared as she saw who had been actually sitting beside her.

"Yukimura-senpai!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

…**..NOW…..**

The injured girl sat straight up on the bed. Her eyes were wide open as she finally realized who was sitting beside her bed.

"Yukimura-senpai! What are you doing here?" Ryoma asked. She then noticed that she was in the school's infirmary. "What am _I_ doing here?"

The bluenette shook himself out of his state of confusion. "You….you're…." The senpai coughed and cleared his throat. Afterwards, his voice became steadier. "I brought you here after you fell down on top of Shiro-kun and bumped your head."

Ryoma rubbed her head. She touched the slightly tender spot on her temple. The previous events were coming back at full speed. "Oh yeah. Monkey Prince stopped all of the sudden." She also remembered what they had been doing before she had fallen. "Arg!! Who stops in the middle of the race? Of all the idiotic……."

Yukimura chuckled lowly and to himself as he let Ryoma continue on ranting about the idiotic Atobe Shiro. But his small smile faded as he remembered what had happened after Ryoma had woken up. _Or to be more precise, the name she had said. Who the heck is Ryo?_ The bluenette frowned as he tried to figure out who the heck Ryo was. The girl prodigy noticed the effeminate senpai's frown.

"What's wrong senpai?" Ryoma asked. She was concerned that he might be getting a head ache after her ranting for so long. _Aniki did tell me that I tend ramble when I lose my temper…_

The Child of God tennis player looked directly into his crush's eyes. His shoulders were straightened out and his spine was stiff. He looked ready to do battle. "Who's Ryo, Ryoma-chan?"

Ryoma's jaw dropped. Her wide golden eyes opened even wider. Then she closed her mouth tightly together. _I had hoped that he had forgotten about that. What to do? What to do?_

Yukimura inwardly frowned at the sight of Ryoma's conflicted face. _Is he her boyfriend or something? Does she not even trust me enough to tell me who he is?_

The captain of Rikkaidai pressed his hand on top of Ryoma's right hand and squeezed it. Ryoma looked up at him with questioning eyes. "You can trust me, Ryoma-chan. I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

The girl opened her mouth and closed it back just as quickly. Her thoughts were in turmoil. _I wonder if I can trust him. Will he treat me the same? But it would be nice if I could talk to someone without having to watch what I say._

Ryoma's mind was made up. "Ryo is my…." Yukimura leaned closer to Ryoma. He didn't want to mistakenly hear something incorrect or miss anything important. Ryoma took a deep breath before continuing. "Ryo….Ryo is my…."

BANG! The door to the infirmary swung open. Yukimura leaned back into his chair while Ryoma dove under her blankets. The bluenette turned an uphappy face to the intruders. Not that they really noticed at first or understood why the teenager was frowning at them.

Four bumbling idiots (not really) strolled their way to the patient's bed.. After hearing some familiar voices, Ryoma peeked out from under her blankets. The girl fully revealed herself after seeing the identities of her new guests and let loose a wide grin.

"What's up Momo-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai, Niou-senpai, Marui-senpai?" Ryoma said with a bright smile. She was inwardly sighing at the same time. _Saved by the tennis players!_ Ryoma looked at her bedside guest and noticed his stony look. _Gulp! It looks like I might get a grilling later._ The girl turned her head back to her guest, silently hoping that Yukimura wasn't making any plans to trap her anytime soon to get the truth from her.

It seems that her good luck was taking a lunch break. A very long lunch break…..because…….

Sure enough, Yukimura was plotting his next meeting with Ryoma and he was adamant about learning the true identity of the guy called Ryo. Only Niou detected that his captain was acting a little out of character.

_I wonder what was going on before we got here._ Niou looked at his captain and then at Ryoma. _Buchou looks angry for some reason and Ryo-chan looks a little guilty. Hmm._ An idea popped into his head. The Trickster of Rikkaidai grinned.

Momoshiro and Kikumaru were currently asking Ryoma if she was feeling better. Marui was telling her a joke at the same time. Yukimura could only watch in vain as the girl of his dreams laughed her enchanting laugh at his teammate. His fists were clenched together and his blue eyes narrowed together. _Note to self: Make Marui run an extra twenty laps at practice next week._

Niou smirked at the scene before him. Before anyone could stop him, the silver-haired boy jumped on the bed. On Ryoma's bed. Right NEXT to Ryoma. The others looked at him with mixed emotions of shock, interest, envy, and anger.

"Ano, what are you doing Niou-senpai?" Ryoma asked her classmate. She didn't notice the seething Yukimura who had stood up so quickly that his chair had knocked backwards onto the ground.

Niou grinned. "Aw…please Ryoma?!" He stared at her with puppy dog eyes. "My feet hurt from running away from all those fan girls earlier."

Niou started to make some whimpering noises and Ryoma rolled her eyes at the older boy's tactics.

Ryoma eventually relented and let the boy stay on the bed next to her. It wasn't that puppy dog eyes that did her in though. It was because of the fan girls. _If there is one thing I hate more than fan boys, its FAN GIRLS!!_ She inwardly shuddered as she remembered her own dealings with her fan club back in the States.

So lost in her thoughts was she that Ryoma didn't notice that Marui and Kikumaru had also joined Niou on the bed as well. The unbalanced, extra weight tossed the girl out of her musings.

"Nani?" Ryoma looked startled. "You can't all be tired!"

The two newcomers on the bed looked at her with wide and watery eyes. Kikumaru spoke first. "Nyah! Today was the first day of practice and so all the fan girls came out in full force!"

Marui added his own input as well, "Please, Ryo-hime! Just for today?"

Ryoma sighed as her two (older!) classmates looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "Fine. Just for today only though!" The tennis prodigy shook her head with exasperation while Marui and Kikumaru cheered together. The emerald-haired girl noticed the lone boy standing. She also noticed the look pitiful look on his face as well.

She sighed again. "Momo-senpai. If you want….you can join too."

The violet-eyed boy's face lit up. Without a word, Momoshiro joined the others on the bed. He accidentally ended up tickling Marui-senpai. The gum-chewing fanatic let out a long stream of laughter. Not wanting to miss out on what seemed like a fun game, Kikumaru joined the scuffle as well. Niou and Ryoma were soon drawn into the tickled fight when the trio had teamed up together to get the Trickster and the Princess. No one really noticed the captain of Rikkaidai slipping out of the room.

Yukimura closed the door softly behind him and slumped down onto the ground. His knees were raised to his head and his face was buried against his knees. The bluenette's arms were linked around his legs. The captain of Rikkaidai looked like someone deeply troubled by something. _Do I even have a chance with Ryo-chan?_ He buried his face deeper into his knees/legs._ Does she even notice me the way that I notice her?_ The handsome teenage was lost in his own thoughts. He didn't notice the day ending slowly by without him.

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-----------Meanwhile….In France…---------------

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A brooding heir to a worldwide gangster organization sat brooding on his bed. His little brother was messing with his books. The teenager was frowning as he watched Toya rearrange his books out of order. He reached out and grabbed the little boy's arm.

"I've already told you a dozen times for you to not mess with my things. Now put them back in order Toya." Leo told his little brother in a stern voice. "I still have to pack."

The seven year old's eyes started to water up. "But! You're leaving soon mon frère (1)! And you won't even play with me before you go!"

Toya's face started to bunch up. Leo smacked himself in his face with his hand. _Dammit! Not the puppy dog eyes._ The sixteen year old peeked between his fingers and took a startled step backwards. During the seconds that Leo had spent thinking to himself, Toya had zoomed up closer to his older brother. His puppy dog eyes were now in the direct line of sight for Leo to see.

The tennis player dropped his hand and sighed. Toya jumped up and gave his brother hug. He always knew when his brother would give in to his wants. He also knew just how to make his big brother feel guilty enough to do what he wanted. _I gotta tell Ryoma-neechan thanks later on. The puppy dog look is so useful!_

"Where do you want to go?" Leo asked his younger brother, breaking him out of his giddy thoughts. Toya looked up at his brother's face with glittery eyes. He smiled before continuing on.

"I want to go with you Toya-nii! With Hiro-nii and Brock-nii!"

Leo looked at his younger sibling in confusion. _I must have heard him incorrectly. He didn't really say that, did he?_ He asked his brother to repeat himself.

Toya looked up with a wide smile. The gap where he had lost a bottom tooth gave his smile such an adorable look that made many females squeal over him and want to hug him like a plush toy. "I want to go with you Toya!"

"Eh?!" was his brother's response. He was still in shock.

"Yeah!" The little boy said excitedly. "I wanna go to Japan too! I wanna see Ryoma-neechan too!" The boy climbed off of his brother. "I'm gonna ask mama and papa right now!"

_Shit!_ Was the last coherent thought that Leo could form before Toya zoomed out of his room to look for their parents.

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-----------------Several Hours Later…..In Germany---------------

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A certain genius red head had just come out of his bathroom after finishing his customary bubble bath. He was feeling most relaxed. _Ah…nothing like a good long soak to wash away the day's troubles. That reminds me, I have to call Brock later to remind him about the things we will need later._ Humming to himself, the teenager sat down on the coach as he made a mental list of things to do. Thus he was really surprised to hear a ringing sound coming from nearby. Hiro looked for the source of the sound.

His cell phone was ringing on the stand next to the coach.

"Ara? Who's calling me this late in the day?" The red head mused out loud. He checked the caller id and recognized a familiar number. One that was memorized from years ago.

"What's up?"

"I…uh…I think we may have a problem." The deep, melodic voice said.

Hiro frowned at his cell. _It takes a lot to get Leo worried. I wonder what's wrong._ "What's going on? You are going to be able to make it on the flight next week, right?"

Leo quickly reassured his friend that his going to Japan was no problem. "It's not me…It's….it's my little brother."

The red head smiled briefly as he remembered the little boy. He was a complete opposite from his older brother. "How is little Toya doing anyway?"

"He's fine…..but…." Leo's voice lowered down to a mumble

"But what?" Hiro asked his friend.

"I said….He…he wants to go too." The brunette said after much coaxing from his long-time friend.

"Eh!" Hiro dropped his cell phone in surprise. The clattering of the cell phone onto the floor made Leo winced. _I expected him to be surprised, but I guess he never thought about this happening._ Leo waited several minutes for Hiro to pick the phone back up and return to a calm state.

"So….Let me get this straight" Hiro said. "You, me, and Brock were planning on attending Star Academy next week. And I had even arranged for all of us to start on the same day. And now you are telling me that your little brother wants to come too?"

"Uh…yeah?" Leo could hear loud and quick breaths coming from the other end of the phone. It was rare for his friend to let his temper loose, but when it did, even he was scared of the usually gentle teenager. Thus he wasn't expecting Hiro's next response.

"Sure! No problem."

Leo's jaw dropped. He could hear loud laughter on the other end and finally realized that Hiro had just been playing with him. "I bet you had predicted he might do something like this already, didn't you Hiro?" he asked his friend in an accusing voice.

Without any guilt or remorse whatsoever, Hiro responded back in a cheerful voice. "Sure did! And I had already bought a ticket for him and prepared his papers to attend the Academy with us as well."

"….."

"Aw…you aren't mad, are you?" Hiro asked his childhood friend. "If it makes you feel any better, Toya had called me last week and I had everything prepared then."

It was quiet on Leo's end. Then Hiro heard three words."….I hate you…."

The teenage genius laughed. He missed Leo's sense of humor. Soon, the Yama heir was also laughing after realizing that everything would soon be coming together.

Leo couldn't help but be impressed by his friend's intelligence. "I guess they don't call you the Tactician for nothing." Leo said to his friend in a warm voice.

"No more than they call you, General." Hiro said, fondly remembering the years from long ago. A dial tone answered his ending remark. Closing his cell, Hiro placed it back on the stand. And picked up a framed photo instead. Seeing the familiar faces, Hiro couldn't help but tear up as memories of old came rushing back. _Soon….the four of us will be reunited….and that promise of ours will be fulfilled._

.

----------------------In America, the Next Day------------------------

"Just how much longer is it going to be, oyaji?" An irritated Ryoga asked his father.

Said father was currently looking at a bikini swimsuit catalog while his wife was out running errands. "Ryo! For the last time, we'll be in Japan in two months or so. More than enough time to make it the brat's Parent's Day Program."

"But!..." Ryoga said before his father interrupted him.

"This is the last time I'm going to say it Ryoga Echizen." Nanjiro looked up from his magazine and pierced his son with a stern glare. Ryoga quieted himself for several minutes before thinking up a great idea.

"I guess the bishoujo will have to fend off all those guys by herself then." Ryoga said to his father in a casual voice as Nanjiro was sipping some lemonade.

Nanjiro spat the tangy drink out of his mouth and into a yellow spray across his swimsuit magazine. He did not notice the damage to his magazine whatsoever.

"Nani!!" Nanjiro said loudly and got up off his seat to grab his oldest child's arms. "What are you talking about?!

Ryoga sweat dropped at his father's reaction. _Geez…I didn't think that he would get this serious._ "I said 'I hope that the bishoujo will be okay by herself while being surrounded by all those guys.'"

"But I thought Phoenix Star Academy was an elite school!" His father said loudly.

"It is, but a lot of guys go there too." Ryoga said. He was joking only a little though. _I mean…Ryoma can handle herself for a few months longer…_

As the Samurai of Japan tried to shake his son, Rinko entered the living room after returning from her errands. "I'm home!"

Noticing his wife, Nanjiro had quickly let go of his son's arms and ran up to Rinko.

"Honey! We have to push our plans ahead to move back to Japan!"

Rinko was slightly shocked by her husband's sudden declaration. "Ano, Nanjiro-hunnie! What's wrong?"

Her husband clutched his head with both of his hands and ran around in circles. "Because my innocent little daughter is surrounded by guys!! Evil guys who will try to hit on her, or worse, ask her out!!"

The successful lawyer chuckled at the former tennis pro's actions. She couldn't help poking him further into panic. "Saa…Ryoma did tell me that there were a lot of guys in her classes. And I recently read online that Star Academy boasts many talented, rich, and handsome male students. Very handsome students!"

After hearing his own mother's description of the students who were currently around Ryoma, Ryoga also went into panic mode. He too started to run in circles like a headless chicken.

"Waah!!! I can't let any of those guys land a hand on chibisuke! Arg!!"

Both he and his father started to run circles around each other until they ran into one another. They both realized what a horrible place Star Academy was for Ryoma. _We can't let Ryoma go unprotected like that!!_

Rinko smiled as both her husband and son started to devise several tactics to speed up their original decision to get to Japan earlier than they had previously planned. _I can't wait to see my adorable daughter again! _She was also lost in her won world.

Every so often, Rinko could hear Nanjiro or Ryoga mutter something like "castrate them bastards…", "beat the crap out of them…", or even "they better not defile my precious daughter/sister…"

Sighing to herself, Rinko went into the kitchen to prepare their lunch for the day. _I had best call Ryoma dear later to give her a heads up. _She looked up from her cutting board. The mother of two thought about her youngest with motherly concern. _ I wonder how she is doing right now…._

.

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--------------At Star Academy--------------

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Ryoma Echizen was currently in running mode. A cloud of dust trailed after her as she ran towards her dorm. In the fading background was a horde of fan boys wanting to ask her out.

"DAMN FAN BOYS!!!" Ryoma cried out as she sighted her destination: the exclusive T-Dorm.

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111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

**CHARACTER DESCRIPTION**

_Name:_ Leo Yama

_Nickname:_ General; and others to be revealed later.

_Age_: 16 years old

_Birthday_: July 21

_Height_: 5' 7"

_Nationality_: French/Japanese

_Hair Color_: Black

_Eye Color_: Silver

Parents are Tyler and Mai Yama. He is the heir to an influential Yakuza organization located in Japan, France, and several other countries. The family has both family and business ties to many other countries including the United States, Brazil, China, and Germany.

Has one younger brother by the name of Toya. Toya is a miniature version of his older brother, appearance-wise, and is currently seven years old. His birthday is August 23.

Leo is an expert at Judo and has several black belts in different martial arts. He has played tennis for over seven years. In fact, his meeting with Ryoma helped lead him to….other interests….as well as more love for the sport known as tennis.

More information will be known later on in the story.

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Notes….

(1): Mon frère means my brother in French.

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And that is the end of the chapter. I hope it wasn't too short or anything! Well, now you all know that Leo, Toya, Brock, and Hiro are slowly making their way to Japan. Who knows what is going to happen in the future!

Until then….have a nice day! Don't forget to read and review. And check out the poll located on my profile page!!!

Updated 6/6/09.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Author's Note: Wow! It's already been one month since I first started writing this story!! Yippee!! Sorry for the slowish update…work is killing me….

Thanks to all those that reviewed and voted!!! Thanks to **Khelc-sul Renai** for catching that mistake for me…"I want to go with you Toya-nii! With Hiro-nii and Brock-nii!" should actually be "I want to go with you Leo-nii!! With Hiro-nii and Brock-nii!!"

This is regular conversation. (Usually in Japanese)

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation spoken in a different language. **_** (Language)**_

=========Chapter 12: I Like Sushi….============

Ryoma Echizen was in a bad mood. It was little after the start of the new week and she and her friends were just beginning home economics. There had been a revision in the school scheduling due to conflicting interests among the teachers. Physical Education and Home Economics were now their own two separate periods. _This is such bull. I bet it's because Mel and Pierre-sensei want more days to torture us rather than just half of the week like before. _One emerald-haired freshman thought after the principal had announced the new agenda. Now all the freshmen were required to take physical education during one period and have home economics right afterwards in a new period.

And to celebrate the new schedule, Melanie-sensei and Pierre-sensei decided to introduce tennis as the sport that they were going to concentrate on for the upcoming weeks. Sadly to say, maybe only a dozen or so students out of the hundred even knew how to play tennis. To make matters even worse for the former pro tennis champion, one of the sad newbies couldn't control his serve and the tennis ball ending up hitting Ryoma's back. The golden-eyed girl spent had spent the last hour lying in the infirmary while Sayu-sensei kept trying to have "girl talk" with her patient.

After an hour of nonstop tips and "girl talk", Ryoma was hoping for a nice and quiet time in home economics. Unfortunately, today marked the start of the homemade cooking of the lunches for the tennis regulars of Star Academy. Before Ryoma could even greet her friends, she was grabbed from behind. Quick as a snake ready to attack its prey, Lina-sensei hustled up her group of friends and stuck her with them in an adjoining room. Inside was a mini-kitchen set up in the corner and several tables and chairs were spread out around the floor. A crap load of ingredients were mounted near the kitchen counter and there was one single message written on the board for the students.

"MAKE SURE TO COOK ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE TENNIS REGULARS OR ELSE!!!"

The message was written in bold black marker and was very noticeable and readable from across the room. Without further ado, the teacher of home economics shoved her beloved students inside and ran out the room. A loud click could be heard as she locked the door.

Some time passes by and the freshmen friends are preparing the enormous lunch for their senpais.

_But No!!! Instead of just having a normal day like a normal person….I gets the crappiest start to an already crappy day._ Ryoma thought sourly as she and her usual group of friends was isolated together in a corner kitchen set. The green haired girl was currently slicing meat and beef into small cubes. The ease of which she used the sharp blade surprised Sakuno who was prepping the stove and soup broth.

"Neh, Ryoma…your technique is quite good." The shy girl complimented her friend. Said friend didn't hear her at all. Sakuno tapped Ryoma on the shoulder.

Ryoma looked up from her cutting board. The skin between her eyes was furrowed. The tennis player took out the headphones in her ears. "Nani? What's up Saku-chan?"

Sakuno looked at her friend bemused. "I said, your technique is very excellent."

The tennis player blushed lightly at her friend's compliment and shrugged her shoulders. "I am trying to be a better cook. I mean…I don't like the idea that we have to cook for the regulars, but at least I'll get to practice some of my recipes out and stuff."

The petite girl giggled at Ryoma's response. _It's just like Ryo-chan to find some good out of a bad situation. Now, if only those two would mature a little bit more…..but…._ Sakuno mused to herself as she glanced around the mini-kitchen that her group was stationed at and shook her head at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

"This totally sucks!" Tomoka complained as she heaved a large bag of flour onto the kitchen counter. She had been complaining nonstop for the past ten minutes. "It's all Horio's fault that we're stuck making these lunches!"

Horio was currently helping Kachiro chop vegetables. Unlike Kachiro's somewhat evenly cut slices, his were very deformed and varying in sizes. His right eyebrow was twitching up and down after he heard the loud-mouthed girl's remarks. He swiveled around and glared at her. "You were to blame too, Tomoka-chan!"

The pigtailed girl stomped up to Horio and jabbed a finger at his chest. "Don't try to get out of taking this situation by putting the blame on me, Horio-baka!"

Jab. Horio took a step back and Tomoka took a step forward.

Jab.

Jab.

"That's it!!" Horio snapped out loud. He reached behind him and grabbed the first thing that came into his hand. He threw it at Tomoka.

"EEEEK!!!!" Tomoka screeched before dropping to the ground. Kachiro and Katso shouted out warnings to their other two female friends. Sakuno looked up wondering what all the commotion was and shrieked before ducking.

All five of them watched in horrifying silence as the object, now identified as a blob of mashed potatoes, was headed in a straight path to their last friend. The potatoes were on a direct path to Ryoma's chest.

The unsuspecting girl literally didn't know what hit her until the potatoes smacked right dab into her shirt. The potatoes landed on the only area of her shirt that was not covered by her apron. Silence covered the corner of the room. A massive aura of coldness and anger oozed out of the girl's body.

Horio and Tomoka's survival instincts kicked in right away. They did the only thing that they could think of at that point.

"He did it!" "She made me do it!" They both said simultaneously and pointed at the other person. Kachiro, Sakuno, and Katsuo wisely huddled near the refrigerator, out of Ryoma's view.

Ryoma was silent. In slow and steady steps, the teenager walked pass the arguing couple and headed towards the sink. She turned on the faucet and proceeded to wash off her shirt. The silent and angry Ryoma was freaking Horio and Tomoka out greatly. The atmosphere in the kitchen was growing colder by the second.

Like the survivors that they are, Tomoka's and Horio's second set of instincts kicked in: groveling for mercy.

"Neh, Ryo-chan….it was just an accident. Please don't be mad at us." Tomoka asked her friend. She looked at with wide, watery eyes. Her expression was a prototype version of the puppy-dog look.

Horio, too, activated an incomplete version of the puppy dog look. He placed his hands together like he was in prayer and kept bowing down at Ryoma. "We're so sorry, Ryo-chan!! I was aiming for Tomoka-chan, but she ducked and the potatoes went straight at you. Sorry!! Sorry!!" Horio rambled out in a quick voice.

The angry Ryoma took a few steps and stopped directly in front of the two culprits. Her expression was the complete opposite of the puppy dog look. Horio and Tomoka quivered beneath her glare and their legs became like jelly. The expression on Ryoma's face was going to make some loud mouth freshmen have many nightmares in the upcoming future.

"You two!" Ryoma said in a low, growly voice. "You two are some of the most immature people I have ever met. You two can't even work together to do a punishment that was only really supposed to be for you two anyway!"

Horio and Tomoka shrunk even further beneath her glare as she continued to reprimand them. "Honestly!! You two are useless in this assignment! You, Horio-kun, can't even cook rice without burning it! And you Tomo-chan are so accident prone in the kitchen that we have already had to clean up five dishes after you!"

Ryoma took a shaky deep breath before continuing. "Get out of the kitchen! Both of you!!" The angry teenager pointed at the tables and indicated for her two friends to make way there.

A saddened Tomoka and Horio walked out of the kitchen with their heads hung low. Both of them sat down with heartbreaking expressions on their faces. One of their most admired role models had just told them that they were useless. Ryoma went back to her station and returned to cutting the meat.

Sakuno and the other two boys crept out of their hiding spot and slowly returned to their stations as well. They looked up every now and them as they heard the occasional sniffling or hiccup. Once and a while, Sakuno would also look at Ryoma and see her friend cut the meat at mach speed due to her irritation with two of her friends.

"Ryo-chan…" Sakuno said softly to her neighboring station partner. Ryoma looked up at her petite friend. "I think that they are really sorry for what they did…"

The brunette nodded her head towards the miserable looking pair of freshmen. Ryoma aimed her gaze at the pair and couldn't help but sigh at the pitiful sight that the two of them managed to create. Ryoma contemplated for several minutes about a suitable punishment to give to her friends. She put down her knife and walked around the counter and towards her pals.

The depressing aura that was radiating off of Horio and Tomoka eased up slightly when they realized that Ryoma was standing before them. They stared at her with watery and hopeful eyes. Before either of them could say anything, Ryoma held up her hand, signaling that she wanted their attention.

She paused before speaking. "I guess you two really didn't mean to create such a commotion. I forgive you two."

Tomoka and Horio whooped out loud in joy and jumped up to give their friend a bear hug. A panicked Ryoma held out both her arms and shouted, "Stop!"

The two brown-haired freshmen skidded to a sudden stop. Ryoma took several steps back. Several LARGE steps back until she was about six feet away from her friends.

"I forgive you two, but that doesn't mean that either of you are off the hook." Ryoma remarked before smirking. "For the whole time that we are doing this assignment, you two will be setting up the tables and cleaning up after each lunch."

Horio and Tomoka started to babble about how unfair that was. They didn't get very far before Ryoma unleashed another death glare at them. She waited until they had quieted down before speaking again.

"It's only fair since Saku-chan, Katsuo-kun, Kachiro-kun, and I have to cook for over twenty people in the space of an hour and a half. Besides, you two were the cause of all this anyway! So stop complaining and do your jobs that I just assigned you!!"

"Yes ma'am!" The two brunettes shouted in a solemn tone.

Duly chastised, Horio and Tomoka proceeded to set up the dining area. Ryoma pivoted on her heel and headed back for the kitchen. Her other friends were looking at her with awe and wonder.

"How did you do that, Ryoma-chan?" Kachiro asked his beautiful friend.

A surprised Ryoma was caught off guard by his question. "What do you mean, Kachiro-kun?"

"He means," Katsuo said, "How did you control Tomoka and Horio like that? Those two have reputations as being the most stubbornly childish and immature freshmen ever to grace Star Academy in the last ten years!"

"Oh. I'm pretty much used to such behavior. My oyaji and aniki are much worse than them." Ryoma stated in a matter of fact tone that made her friends sweat drop. _If her father and older brother are worse than those two, I'd hate to see how Ryoma-chan deals with them…_The three friends thought.

"But we have more important things to worry about! Lunch is almost in forty minutes and we're not even halfway through yet!"

Like a general preparing his soldiers for war, Ryoma took command of the kitchen. "Sakuno, I want you to start adding the broth and seasonings to the three big pots on the stove. Katsuo, make sure you keep watch of the vegetables and meat bubbling in the pots as well. We don't want them too tender or over-cooked. Kachiro, I want you to make me over a hundred onigiri before lunch is over! Leave the desserts to me! What are you guys still standing around for? Let's get to it!!"

"HAI!!" Three voices shouted out in unison. As they all started to work on their own tasks, the three friends were thinking about what had just occurred.

_I can't believe Ryoma was able to take control of Horio and Tomoka like that!! Sugoi!! _(Kachiro).

_Ryo-chan is such a take charge person. **Giggle** I can't wait till lunch comes and the regulars find out that Ryoma was in charge of their food! _(Sakuno).

_Ryoma's cooking skills are really good. They seem to border the line of an expert chef's talents. **Sniff…Sniff**….Is she making a chocolate forest cream cake with vanilla whip cream and blueberry cobbler? That cake is one of the hardest in all of the desserts that I've been taught, and for her to do it with such ease….Ryoma is very scary. Scary and Impressive._ (Katsuo).

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-------------- Lunch Time, Room 213 -----------------

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Five freshmen were waiting nervously for their guests to arrive. One freshman was trying to plot her way out of the room. _Damn it! This is the second floor and there's no way I could make it out of the window safely. Let's see…there are two doors, but Lina-sensei already locked one…so….that means that the other one is where the other regulars will enter from._ Ryoma bit her bottom lip as she tried to contemplate the chances of her escaping from the room.

Currently, Sumire Ryuuzaki and Taro Sakaki were sitting down patiently at their table while they waited for their regulars to come file into the rooms. As Ryoma scanned the room for any last signs for correction, she caught Sakaki-sensei's looking at her. The look of surprise on her face grew even more when the primary coach of the tennis club stood up and gestured for her to follow him.

Ryoma could only shrug at her friends and give pointed looks to Horio and Tomoka before following the business-like coach.

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-------------- On the Way to Room 213 -----------------

"Hoy, Hoy! I can't wait to eat the food that ochibi made for us!" One energetic red head Seigaku regular said before latching onto Oishi's back.

All of the Seigaku, Hyotei, and Rikkaidai regulars were walking together to eat the lunch that the freshmen had made for them.

"Saa…I wonder how well Ryo-hime cooks. I can't wait to try it." Fuji of Seigaku wondered out loud. Several of the males nodded their heads thoughtful as they, too, mused on how well the freshmen had made the food.

"It is 97% likely that Sakuno-chan, Katsuo-kun, Kachiro-kun, and Ryoma-hime cooked the meal by themselves." The data master of Seiguka said. His fellow colleague from Rikkaidai also added his two cents. "It is also 99% likely that Horio-kun and Tomoka-chan were kicked out of the kitchen."

The other regulars looked at the two data collectors of the club in wonder. One brave soul, Shishido, regular of Hyotei, asked, "How in the world did you two come to find that out?"

"We have our sources." Yanagi said with a slightly creepy smile. Inui looked up from his notebook and gave a wide grin while the light glinted on his glasses. The aura between the two made the other players nervous.

The mother figure of Phoenix Star Academy's tennis club hurriedly added his input to help diffuse the tension. "I'm sure that no matter what, the freshmen tried their best for us."

"Mmm…Yes…I'm think so too, Oishi-kun." Yukimura said in agreement. "I'm sure that no matter what, everyone will be mindful of their manners and not embarrass me..err…us in front of the freshmen." The blunette gave a soft, steely smile to his friends.

Unfortunately, Kirihara didn't see that smile, if one could really call it that. He sniggered under his breath before muttering, "More like the buchou doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of Ryoma-hime." Then he noticed that Momoshiro and Kaidoh, who had been on either side of him, were slowly moving away from him. That's when he realized what was happening and tried to keep his gaze on floor, hoping to escape detection.

The atmosphere got colder and silence reigned around the second-year. Kirihara looked up from the floor and realized that his captain had moved next to him. The looks of pity and concern on the players around him made him realized that his buchou had heard his comment.

"Saa…." Yukimura-buchou said, mimicking a well-known sadist. Kirihara started to sweat bullets. "It seems that you've just volunteered for our new training regime, Kirihara-kun." The second year's face drained of any color as his captain continued to speak. "I'll have Genichirou oversee your training so that you don't miss out on anything."

The fukubuchou of Rikkaidai nodded at Kirihara. His stern face showed no emotion. In the inside, however, he was shaking in his imaginary boots. _I'd better do what Seichi wants or else he might turn on me too….why…oh why!! Why am I under the command of a sadistic captain??!! If only I was in Seiga.. NO!!! They have Fuji there….and Hyotei is all about Atobe drama….why….why??!!!_

Tezuka, who had been walking next to Sanada, could only shake his head as he heard Sanada let loose a weary sigh. Sanada and Tezuka had been best friends since they were toddlers due to their families being close acquaintances for several generations. After all their years together, the captain of Seigaku could practically tell what was going in his friend's mind. The teenager with his honey-colored hair clapped a sympathetic hand on Sanada's shoulder. The fukubuchou of Rikkaidai looked at his life-long friend, and they both gave a weary sigh simultaneously.

Meanwhile, with Kirihara out of the way from between them, Momoshiro and Kaidoh started one of their arguments. It wouldn't seem like it to an outsider, but the two friends had known each other since they were in diapers. Both of their fathers had a partnership together and their wives often made playdates for their sons when they had been only children. Momo and Kaidoh had a friend/rival relationship, but sometimes….they were pretty loud about their disagreements. This was one of those times.

"I'm hoping that they cooked hamburgers and milkshakes." The violet-eyed boy said while rubbing his stomach. His best friend gave a scoff.

"As if they would cook burgers and shakes, baka." Kaidoh said to his friend. Momoshiro got into Kaidoh's face.

"Well, what do you think they cooked, Mamushi?"

Kaidoh stepped closer to his tall friend. "Obviously, since they are only starting out, they most likely cooked something simple. Like udon or fried rice. Baka!"

The two friends started arguing with each other until another player added his own input. "I was hoping that there would be sushi though. I like sushi."

Both of the Seigaku players turned and looked at the Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei. They were surprised to see him wide awake and not sleeping on Kabaji's shoulder. Their dual looks of surprise made the volley specialist laugh. "It would be rude of me to enter the lunchroom asleep. Besides, Ryoma would beat me up if I did so. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu." The giant of Hyotei said, surprising the other players around them. The other regulars were surprised when he had responded to someone other than Atobe. And their dumbfounded looks grew even more when the usually silent boy spoke even more. "I like Ryoma's cakes. I hope that she made some."

Four sets of glares were pinpointed at Jiro and Kabaji. Fuji was the first one to speak. "How come both of you are referring to Ryo-hime to Ryoma?"

"Yes, do explain how you two are calling Ryoma-hime Ryoma while Ore-sama has still not been given the honors of doing so." The buchou of Hyotei demanded.

Neither of the boys was feeling nervous under the pressure. Jiro was the one who cleared up the air. "Cuz, she gave us permission to do so…duh!"

All of the regulars were silent for the rest of the way to Room 213. The three captains, tensai of Seigaku, and the remaining two demons of Rikkaidai were shocked to see Sakaki-sensei talking with Ryoma outside of the room. They were even more stunned to see the emerald-haired girl shaking her head adamantly and her clenching her first tightly. Before they could say anything, Ryoma stalked back inside the classroom, leaving Sakaki-sensei by himself. To the surprise of all the regulars, their coach punched the wall next to him and muttered to himself before entering the classroom himself.

The acrobatic player, Gakuto, summed up everyone's thoughts out loud. "What the hell was that about?" With no likely answers being said, the only thing that everyone could do was enter Room 213 to get some grub.

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--------------------Inside Room 213-----------------------

Ryoma was muttering to herself as she tied her apron back on. Horio and Tomoka wisely stayed out of her way while they greeted the regulars and seated them down. Sakuno was helping Kachiro pass out onigiri and Kachiro was in the kitchen making sure that nothing burned. With her temper still close to the surface, Ryoma decided to check on her baked goods. They were done and the only thing left to do was wait for dessert to come

Meanwhile in the dining areas….the meaty stew had been brought out and served….Fast forward some time……The regulars are eating and relaxed because they don't have to worry about having any crazed fans barging into the room and swarming them to eat their bentos.

"The onigiri was a nice touch for an appetizer. They weren't heavy, but not too light either." Yagyuu, the ever consummate gentleman, said. The others at his table nodded in agreement.

"And this stew is delicious as well. The meat is tender and the broth is seasoned very well." Oshitari said to his friend before polishing off his bowl.

At another table, Keigo was plotting with Fuji. "We may be rivals in tennis and love, Fuji-san, but if we even want to have a chance at gaining Ryo-hime's heart, we will have to work together."

"What do you have in mind, Keigo-san?" Fuji asked his companion. "Yukimura is a formidable foe, on and off the court. Plus I think Sanada-san might be in the competition as well."

Atobe waved his hand in a lazy manner. "Sanada may like Ryo-hime, but he won't do anything if Yukimura goes after her."

"Alright, then here's what I think we should do…" Fuji said to his conspirator. They both bent their heads low together and whispered in hushed voices.

At a nearby table, Yukimura watched the scene before his eyes with concealed amusement. "It seems that the game is on then."

Yanagi looked up from his bowl and asked his buchou if anything was the matter. The bluenette shook his head reassuringly at his friend before musing to himself silently. The third demon of Rikkaidai, however, was planning to meet up with his fellow data collector in the near future. _It seems that things are going to get interesting very soon._

The regulars were just minding their own business and just having fun to themselves. Soon it was time for dessert and everyone knew it because they could smell the heavenly aromas coming from the kitchen. And then, they came.

There were four black forest cakes with vanilla whipping and three blueberry cobblers for the regulars to eat. There was a mad rush for dessert and there were barely any crumbs left after they had gotten through with the food.

"That was so good!!" Jiro exclaimed loudly while Kabaji agreed enthusiastically.

"That was the best blueberry cobbler I have ever tasted." Wakashi stated. "And I don't even like blueberry cobbler either!"

All of the regulars had something to say and all of their comments were genuinely positive. The four cooks were beaming with pride and the other two were inwardly filled with despair. They only just realized how many dishes that they would have to wash and could only imagine how long it would take to clean up the room. _And we have four more days left to go!!!_ Both of them thought in dejection.

The bell soon rang, signaling that the first half of lunch was over. Sakaki-sensei got up and reminded the players that there would be practice after school today before leaving. Ryuuzak-sensei had also added that anyone who was late would have to suffer the consequences of drinking Penal Tea V. 4 before she left as well. The regulars all started to file out of the room, leaving the freshmen all to themselves. Ryoma took off her apron and the others followed suit.

"Have fun cleaning up, you two." She said sadistically before going off to enjoy a nap on the roof of the building. Kachiro, Katsuo, and Sakuno looked at their two friends in sympathy, but left as well. They weren't _that_ sympathetic.

Both Horio and Tomoka looked at each before both shouting, "Kuso!"

Ryoma chuckled loudly as she heard their battle cry before returning to her nap.

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………….After School….Tennis Practice……….

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"I hate all of you." Ryoma said to her friends as they were once again running laps. She noticed that Sakuno was keeping up better this time compared to last time. _I guess all that torture they call exercise in p.e. helps out after all…_ The golden-eyed girl thought before increasing her speed. She felt a presence make its way to the right of her and spoke before he could.

"I'm not going out with you."

Shiro clutched his heart in a mocking manner. "You wound me, Ryo-hime. And here I thought you only saved that line for my baka brother."

Despite the fact that Ryoma hated to be plagued by fan boys, she couldn't help but like the one next to her. "You know, Shiro-kun, you aren't that half bad, compared to some of the guys that I've met before."

"Really?" Shiro asked his crush with twinkling eyes and a killer smile. Nearby, several girls from his fan club swooned at his smile. And half of the guys in the crowd were plotting his murder (not really….maybe) when they saw Ryoma smile back at him.

Neither of them noticed that many of the regulars were running behind them. They also didn't realize that every word they said was being closely recorded and dissected by the regulars.

"You're pretty cool when you aren't acting like your brother. That 'ore-sama' crap gets kinda aggravating after a while." Ryoma said, smiling at the boy. An arrow struck said subject's heart.

"And you aren't a sadistic sempai either." A bluenette and smiling tensai clutched their hearts as arrows also struck them.

"So…I rank pretty high up in your guy list, Ryoma?" Shiro asked hesitantly. He was nervous about Ryoma's reaction when he called her by no honorific.

Ryoma was quiet for a few moments before responding. "Shiro, you are a nice guy. But I can really only see you as a friend, you know?"

"I guess." Shiro said in a disappointed voice. "It would suck dating someone who my brother is also interested in anyway."

"What was that?" Ryoma asked her new friend since he had said it in a soft voice.

Shiro quickly shook his head and said that he was only muttering to himself. "So, me and the guys come hang out with you guys at lunch and during class then?"

"Sure, but you might want to apologize to Sakuno for doing that dirty trick on her concerning the photography club." Ryoma warned her running mate.

"Agreed." Shiro said. It was silent between them for several seconds before he spoke again. "So you never did tell me how high I ranked on your list…."

Ryoma laughed. "You're somewhere in the twenties. Let's go with that."

"So, then….who is in your top?"

"Tennis players."

"So any players at Star Academy in your top ten?" Shiro asked before smirking. He had finally realized that the regulars were listening on in their conversation and decided that now was a good time to tease them. And to get some possibly good blackmail as well. He also realized that Ryoma had yet to notice their stalkers.

"Who said they had to be Japanese tennis players?" Ryoma said with a teasing grin before speeding up.

Shiro stopped in his tracks, stunned by the girl's comment. Then he broke out of his shocked state and ran after the girl yelling, "Wait!! What do you mean by that??!!"

Ryoma's laughter could be heard across the court as Shiro tried to catch up with her. The other regulars had stopped in their tracks and was watching the freshmen in a dazed state.

"You don't hear that everyday." Ohtori said, breaking the silence.

"Here. Here." Shishido told his partner before continuing to run. His movements stirred the others to action. Only Fuji, Atobe, Yukimura, and Sanada were left behind.

"Seichi, we have to keep running. We can talk about this later." The fukubuchou of Rikkaidai said before grabbing the silent Yukimura's arm and leaving the king and tensai behind.

Fuji looked at Atobe and Atobe looked at Fuji. They both had the same thought run through their head and out their mouth: "She has a list?"

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**CHARACTER DESCRIPTION**

Name: Shiro Atobe

Age: 15

Birthday: February 13

Height: 5' 4"

Nationality: Japanese

Hair color: Purple, is close to shoulder-length and is usually tied in a short ponytail

Eye color: Black

Is the younger brother of Keigo Atobe. He enjoys playing tennis and loves photography. Although he does like to brag about his family and himself, he is genuinely a nice person. Recently suffering from a bad relationship, he went through a phase of acting like his older brother. Needless to say, that time is best forgotten by all.

His best friends are Jin and Wei Chan. Their parents are smaller affiliates that work for Atobe Corporation. The three met after an incident when they were around seven years old. More information will be revealed as the story progresses.

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And that is the end of the long-awaited Chapter 12!!! Sorry for such the delay.

And there is going to be a surprise coming very soon once Reviews hit a special number!!!

Thanks for reading and please review.

Updated 6/18/09.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I will never own Prince of Tennis and rake in all the globs of money that it makes………

Author's notes: Reviews have made it to 213+…therefore, I have made another chapter and updated sooner than usual as a celebration. Yay!!! Thanks to all that read and/or reviewed!! Pretty soon, some guests will be making themselves known….

Thanks for the correction **.Days** for the correction on Inui's trademark saying. I'll try to be more accurate in the future. Thanks for all those that read and reviewed. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation usually in a different language. (**_**Language)**_

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================Chapter 13: Friendly matches…==================

Let's fast forward until say…..Thursday,…shall we??

It is the end of the day and classes are over. Students were milling about and hanging out with each other on their way to their clubs. Laughter and friendly voices could be heard. At least, around the other parts of school that is. There was one not so happy voice that could be heard coming from inside the tennis offices where coaches Sakaki and Ryuuzaki did all of their paperwork.

Inside the usually pristine office were the three popular captains, two stressed coaches, and one irate freshman.

"No! NO!!! NO!!!" Ryoma said to Sakaki-sensei. "I'm not doing it!!!"

"Keep your voice down, Echizen-chan." Sakaki said in a controlled voice. "We are all in the same room and can hear each other very well without needing to yell."

"I don't want to take part in the match this Friday." Ryoma said in a subdued, but angry voice. "You guys have over twenty regulars! Get one of them to play!"

"You are the only one who we can ask." Ryuuzaki-sensei remarked calmly. "Based on Melanie and Pierre-sensei's reports and our own information, you are the only decent freshman player than we have."

"What about Shiro or the Chan twins?" The girl asked desperately. It seemed like the walls were closing on her and that there was no escape in sight,

"Hyotei has already asked Shiro to take part in their game as their freshman representative." Atobe said. Ryoma opened her mouth to comment but Atobe spoke before her. "And my otouto has already accepted."

"Then what about the Chan brothers? They are pretty good." Ryoma asked in a panicked voice. "They are pretty good at singles."

"And they are even better at doubles." Tezuka said. "They have already accepted to play as the freshmen representatives for Seigaku."

"The Rikkaidai team is the only team that does not have a freshman rep, and based on process of elimination, you are the only we can ask." Ryuuzaki stated before Ryoma could make another comment.

"But….but…"

"Phoenix Star Academy has a reputation to uphold." Sakaki-sensei said in a confident and deep voice. "Every year, our academy hosts friendly matches against other schools. One tradition of ours is that there is at least one freshmen representative in each match and we usually win the match as well. We allow for at least one freshman to ensure that there will be at least one other player knowledgeable in playing in matches in the future years to come, should anything happen to the upperclassmen or other regulars."

"But if I don't play, what will happen?" Ryoma asked in a small voice. The logic behind making one freshman play was very sound and made much sense.

"If you don't play Ryo-chan," Yukimura said in a sad voice. "We will most likely have to ask one of the other new incomers. Can you imagine someone like Horio representing Phoenix Star and Rikkaidai's tennis team?"

Ryoma could only very well imagine how Horio would act and brag in front of the opponent. And she could readily see him lose in a humiliating manner, and therefore humiliating the school and team.

Sighing, Ryoma could only roll her eyes. The others in the office smiled as they recognized the tell-tale signs that Ryoma had accepted their proposal. "I'll play for Rikkaidai….but don't think that you guys can be making a habit of this."

There was a chorus of 'sure' and 'fine' among the crowd of tennis lovers.

"Now that this matter has been settled, would everyone except for Echizen-chan leave?" Ryuuzaki asked. The three captains had looks of surprise and curiosity as they filed out of the room. Sakaki gestured for his co-worker to lock the door and signaled for Ryoma to take a seat.

"It has been a while, Ryoma." Ryuuzaki said to her former student's daughter.

"Hai. It has been over a couple of years, Ryuuzaki-san, Sakaki-san."

"How is your music going? I know that you had put it on the side burner the last time that I saw you in America." Sakaki asked his student.

"It's going good. My piano skills have improved and I play the violin every now and then in my room."

"That's good. You should come by the music room sometime during lunch and I can give you some pointers like before." Sakaki said to Ryoma. "You were an attentive student, if I remember."

"Hai. You were one of the best music teachers that I have ever had the honor of having." Ryoma said and nodding her head in acknowledgment. "But I doubt that you asked me to stay behind to talk about my hobbies."

Ryuuzaki and Sakaki looked at each other before Ryuuzaki spoke first. "We've known you and your family for years, Ryoma. Why aren't you interested in being in the tennis club? And does your family know what you have been doing?"

"Yeah, they know." Ryoma said before sinking further into her seat. "They know what's been going on."

"Then can you tell us? I think that we have a right to know. I am your cousin as well." Sakaki-sensei told his little cousin. Ryoma nodded again and told her story to the two adults.

----------- Meanwhile -----------

"I guess Ryoma-chan will be playing with me Friday." Yukimura told Atobe in a smug voice. "I'll be sure to give Ryoma some personal training."

"Ha! Ore-sama doubts that Ryoma needs any help from you Seichi-san. If she needs any help, Ore-sama will be the one to do so." Atobe argued with Yukimura.

The two captains continued to bicker like children until Tezuka stepped in.

"Stop it. Both of you or there will not be any dessert for either of you tomorrow." Tezuka said in a stern voice. Yukimura and Atobe quieted down.

It was quiet between the three captains before they all busted out laughing. Keigo wiped the tears coming out of his eyes.

"You sounded like my father just now." The King laughed again.

"Seriously, Kunimitsu." Yukimura said while clutching his gut, "You have got to stop hanging around Oishi. The mother and father of Seigaku indeed!!"

The two captains of Hyotei and Rikkaidai looked at each other again and fell into another laughing fit. The image of Tezuka acting as the father of the tennis players and the image of Oishi mothering the regulars made them collapse on the floor. Tezuka was not amused.

"Now that you guys have stopped fighting, please get up off the floor before a fan girl catches us out in the open." The captain told his friends sternly. They quickly got up. If there was one thing that they all agreed on, it was that a lone fan girl is annoying, but a pack of them is about survival.

Once again, the three captains were on alert and walking back to their dorm. It was the blunette who broke the silence.

"I wonder what the coaches wanted to talk to Ryo-chan about."

"Most likely to give her pointers and that sort of stuff." The Hyotei captain said. "She is only a freshman after all."

"Don't worry, Seichi. She'll do okay. She did beat Arai in the end." Tezuka said, trying to calm his now nervous friend.

"But barely." Yukimura protested. "Even though it looked like she was playing with him, it still seemed like it took her a lot for her to beat him."

"Ore-sama doubts that sensei would choose a student who didn't have some skill to represent our school."

"I know that…but Rikkaidai…."

"Don't fret about it, Seichi. Rikkaidai has many upperclassmen who can avenge Ryoma-chan should she lose." The honey-haired teenager said to his childhood friend.

As Atobe and Tezuka tried to cheer up a worried Yukimura, none of them noticed the girl who was walking several feet behind them. Nor did they notice that her facial expressions changed depending on what she had heard them say about her.

Instead of following her senpais into the dorm, Ryoma Echizen took a detour to the Arts Building. Ignoring the stares that she was getting, Ryoma made her way to the highest floor. The emerald haired girl spent several minutes before finding the room that she was looking for and entered it. She looked around the room to make sure that she was alone.

"Argh!" The girl screamed out loud before plopping down on the coach in the room. She rubbed her forehead and tried to rid herself of the headache that was forming. After several moments of self-contemplation, she sat back up and started to talk to herself.

"Arrogant sempais! Who do they think that they are? Talking about me and my skills as if they know anything about me!!"

Ryoma got up off the sofa and started looking for the instrument that she wanted to play. Little did she know, another person was in the room with her and had woken up from his nap when she had screamed earlier.

"ME! They think that they have to worry about me even trying to put up a fight at the match tomorrow?! I was the FREAKIN' Prince of Tennis for Kami's sake! I could take any of them on and still win. I'd like to see them try and take on aniki or oyaji."

Ryoma was finally able to choose the instrument that she wanted and was carefully tuning it and determining it to be in good condition.

"I mean, aniki was known as the freaking **MASTERMIND DEMIGOD **(1) of the tennis courts and oyaji is still admired as **SAMURAI NANJIRO (2)** in both America and Japan. How dare they think that just because I'm a girl and younger than them I can't play tennis as well as them?!!"

The figure who had been napping behind the coach was wide awake and shocked. _I may not be a language expert like Yuushi, but I understood those two names. Ryoma? She's related to Ryoga Echizen and Nanjiro Echizen? But Ryoga only has one sibling, and that's his lit…little brother….Ryo….OMG!!_

Frustrated with condescending sempais and just with tennis in general, Ryoma let loose her emotions in her music. (3) Unbeknownst to the girl, the windows of the room were open and her music flowed out of the room. Around campus, the wind carried her intense music and it was heard by many.

"Saa….such nice music." A smiling tensai thought before crushing Inui in a tennis match, making it 6 games to 2.

Around another part of the tennis courts, a tired Kaidoh and a worn out Kikumaru felt reenergized as they heard the music floating around.

"Hoy, hoy! Kaidoh, let's do five more laps!" The redhead told his kouhai.

"Hai, senpai! Let's finish the stamina training." A now energized Kaidoh said to his upperclassman.

In the SCD's office, the tennis coaches were meeting with Mr. Yamato. The music drifted inside the room through an open window. The head of the Student Coordinator Division leaned into his chair as he took the time to listen to the music.

"It's rare to hear such music being played around here." Mr. Yamato said in an appreciative voice.

"Yes, sir. The feelings and emotion being played in the song are very intense." Ms. Ayame said to her boss.

"Yes, Ryoma-chan is very talented." Sakaki remarked after he too relaxed under the song's spell.

Yamato looked at his friend. "That was Echizen-chan playing? She is very talented then. But why did you call her Ryoma-chan?"

Ryuuzaki could seed that Yamato was thinking that Sakaki was being to forward with Ryoma and decided to add a helping hand out to Sakaki. "Those two are cousins, so they know each other pretty well."

"Ah…" Yamato-sensei muttered before getting down to the original purpose of the meeting. "Now…as you both know, there are going to be some new transfer students coming in on……"

The meeting went back on track and there were no more talks about music. Meanwhile, back with Ryoma……

"That felt much better!" Ryoma mumbled to herself before putting up the violin. A noise made her straighten up quickly. Turning around, Ryoma could only watch in dread while Jiro clapped his hands at her playing.

"That was some playing, Ryoma!" he said. "Or should I say Tennis no Ojisama?"

The color drained out of Ryoma's face. But Jiro wasn't done yet.

"So, hime…Care to explain what is going on to me?" The usually sleepy boy asked his friend. Ryoma looked around the room for an escape, but seeing the determined look in Jiro's eyes, she gave a defeated sigh. Seconds turn to minutes and minutes stretch into hours until the sky outside the windows is tinted with black satin spotted with scattered stars. The emotions and old memories that Ryoma felt and had during the past few years were bared out to her friend. Several moments passed after Ryoma finished her tale.

**Whistle** "That's some story, Ryoma…I never knew you felt that way."

Ryoma nodded. She surprisingly felt much lighter and actually felt more at ease now that she had told someone her true identity.

"Yeah. I mean, it was fine being the Prince of Tennis in the beginning, but having fan girls calling at 2 in the morning to declare their love for you gets annoying after a while." Ryoma said with a grimace on her face. The Sleeping Beauty of Hyotei laughed at her pained expression.

"But, Ryoma…How would you feel if someone else knew your secret besides me?" Jiro asked the girl in a serious manner. "Would you be okay if Kabaji knew?"

"Nani?" Ryoma said with a stricken look. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? It's only me and you in here!"

No sooner had Ryoma spoken those words did the door to the room open. Lurking outside the doorframe was the hulking figure of Kabaji of Hyotei. What little color that had been on Ryoma's face was gone. Her mouth was hanging loose like a gaping fish as Kabaji entered the room and closed the door.

"Buh…Wha….uh…." For once, the teenage prodigy was at a loss for words.

"I didn't mean to ease drop, but I couldn't help but want to listen." The usually quiet boy told the girl. Ryoma shut her jaw closed. Seeing how uncomfortable Kabaji was and how silent Ryoma was, Jiro decided to take matters into his own hands.

"You know, Kabaji did knock on the door earlier, but you weren't paying attention. And I think that when he started to hear you ramble out loud to yourself, he didn't want to interrupt you." The orange-head said.

But Ryoma wasn't easily appeased with such an explanation. "It shouldn't matter if I was talking to myself or not. He should have gone inside anyway. He wasn't supposed to hear all that stuff. YOU weren't supposed to hear all of it either!"

Jiro wasn't in the mood for appeasing Ryoma. At least, not this time.

"But the fact of the matter is that we both now know the truth about you Ryoma Echizen. And I can't believe that you don't trust us enough to keep your secret for you." Jiro said with an upset expression etched itself on his visage. "I think that out of all the regulars that you have met here so far, you could at least trust us."

"I…I…"

"We like you Ryoma." Kabaji said in a low voice before stopping abruptly.

Jiro picked up where he left off. "We like the Ryoma that can cook like a five star chef. We like the Ryoma that can play music that soothes the soul. We like the Ryoma that isn't afraid to beat another player in a tennis match. We especially like the Ryoma who isn't afraid to punch Kei-buchou in the eye when he is being annoying…..We…."

"Please….please…just stop." Ryoma said, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her two friends were saying the things that she had been wanting to hear for the last few years. Ryoma rubbed her eyes, wishing that the tears would stop. _How long has it been? How long has it been since someone has truly accepted me besides my old team?_

Quietly, Kabaji and Jiro wrapped their arms around their friend. Feeling the sudden warmth, Ryoma turned herself into their embrace. Minutes passed before Ryoma's tears started to slow down and eventually stop. Soon, only sniffling could be heard coming from the girl. She looked up at her friends with red eyes.

"You know. You two are the best friends that a girl could have."

"Usu." Kabaji said. The teenager's trademark saying made the trio break out into soft laughter.

"It's getting late, and we need to be up early for the match tomorrow. We should be heading back to the dorm now." Jiro said in a logical manner similar to Inui when he was collecting data. He even pushed up imaginary glasses up his nose and gave a creepy smile that made Ryoma laugh nervously.

"Seriously Jiro….you gotta stop that. You acted like him so well that it was just plain creepy." The girl told the volley specialist. His next comeback wasn't a smart move.

"Well. Your face looks pretty bad when you cry. It seems like you aren't that type of girl that can cry in a delicate and pretty manner." The Hyotei regular said before receiving a fist to the head. Jiro collapsed on the floor and was knocked out for the night.

"Baka." Ryoma muttered to herself. Kabaji sweat dropped at his friends' antics.

The girl then turned her attention to the lone conscious boy. "Let's go Kabaji. Bring the baka to his room for me please."

"Usu." He said before picking up the unconscious teenager and placing him on his shoulder. The scene looked very similar to when Jiro is asleep on Kabaji's shoulder, and no one was suspicious at the sight of them walking when they started to make their to the dorm.

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Meanwhile….Back in the Music Room……

One of the ceiling tiles in the music room's roof popped down onto the floor. A long body eased itself out of the ceiling before landing softly on the couch. The boy hurriedly got off of the furniture piece before another body fell onto the sofa.

The first teenager helped his friend off the couch and both of them dusted the cob webs and dust off of their uniforms. Their usually yellow and black outfits were smudged with dust and what not.

The purple-haired teenager looked at his doubles partner and saw that he was in deep concentration. Yagyuu pushed the glasses up his nose before clearing his throat. Niou was startled out of his contemplation of what had just conspired in the past couple of hours.

The Gentleman spoke first. "Well…that was interesting to say the very least. What do you think Niou-san?"

Niou was still very a few moments before he broke out into a wide grin. "I'm thinking that this is going to be a very interesting school year." _Just like I thought when I first saw Ryoma all those days ago…I bet that the others are going to in for the roughest time of their life…hehehe…_

Yagyuu was getting slightly creeped out about the look that Niou was making and decided to ground his friend back to Earth. "So…who would have thought that the Prince of Tennis was actually a girl?"

"Mmm…It does explain why we never heard any news about a girl involved with the prince in all these years. And why he never attended any summer events dealing with bathing suits and swim shorts and what not." Niou logically told his friend. Then he smiled a lecherous grin. "Hehehe…in that case, I can't wait to see Ryoma in a two piece!"

"Ow." Niou rubbed his head where Yagyuu's fist had previously made itself known to. "I was just joking you know."

The megane player humphed before he started to make his way out of the room. Seeing no other choice, the silver-haired boy followed suit. But he couldn't resist asking his friend another question. "So what are we going to do about the truth about Ryoma?"

Yagyuu contemplated on the matter briefly before saying that they should just treat the girl the same as they had been before they had found out the truth. Niou, being the usual Trickster that he was, couldn't help but imagine all of the mayhem and commotion that he could cause with his newfound information. **BANG** another punch had made its connection to his head.

"What the hell was that for, Yagyuu?"

"Ryoma already explained why she kept her past like she had. We should just treat her in the same manner that we have been treating her until she decides to tell us herself." Yagyuu said before frowning sternly at his friend. "And I think that we should help her keep her secret until she decides to reveal it herself."

"I…" Niou started to say before closing his mouth abruptly. The cogs in his head were moving at a fast pace. _If I keep her secret, then think of all the trouble I could cause. And the look on buchou's face when he finds out will be hilarious! HAHAHAHA_!

"Sure! Me and you can work together with those two Hyotei players to protect our hime's secrets." Niou grinned. "It'll be like we four are the Royal Guards of the Princess!"

Niou laughed at his own joke while Yagyuu sweat dropped at the thought of his friend wielding a sword and shield to protect a 'defenseless' Ryoma-hime. Then the Gentleman laughed softly at the thought of a weak Ryoma asking for help to take care of all her troubles. The purple-haired boy was still laughing softly to himself as he made his way out of the room with his roommate on his heels.

Niou interrupted his friend's internal musings. "Even though we didn't find what I was looking for, we did find something else that was interesting."

"Yes we did. And for that, I won't make you sleep outside on the balcony tonight."

Niou raised an eyebrow at his friend's comment. Yagyuu continued to talk. "You asked me to help you find your book on illusions. I doubt that we should have gone looking in the ceiling for it though."

The silver haired teenager started to sweat bullets as he thought about the private bet that he had with Fuji of Seigaku. The bet was to make Yagyuu look less than abnormally pristine as he usually does by doing something that he would never be caught doing in a million years. All Niou had to do was take a picture of his dirty self and he would win the bet. _If Yagyuu ever finds out about the picture I took of him….sleeping outside on the balcony will be the least of my worries…_

Niou tried to deflect the subject by mentioning a more worthy subject: tennis.

"So, I hear that Ryoma will be playing as Rikkaidai's freshman representative tomorrow. This should be very interesting."

"Yes. It should be interesting indeed." Yagyuu said.

"So who are we playing against?"

Yagyuu only said two words. "Fudomine High."

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Notes:

(1): Mastermind Demigod is the nickname that Ryoga acquired on the tennis courts in America. His skill, strength, and speed made him a great force to reckon with on the courts. His highly analytical mind helped him systematically destroy his opponent and/or trap them until exhaustion or forfeiting.

(2): Samurai Nanjiro is the nickname that the father of Ryoma and Ryoga made for himself during his early years in tennis.

(3) The song that Ryoma is playing is "Meteor" by T.M. Revolution. I first heard of it when I was watching Gundam SEED….It's so cool sounding. I love hearing it.

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And the mystery bonus chapter for having Reviews making it to 213+ is finished. I am really making Ryoma little OC, but hey…that's what fanfic is all about!! Hehehehehe!

Until next time!!!

Updated 6/21/09


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Author's Note: Thanks for all those that read and/or reviewed my story so far! Thanks for the ones that voted on my poll located on my profile page. The poll is still open, so vote as soon as you can!

The last correction thanks was supposed to be for **.Days** and not shortened to **.Days**. Anyway, thanks for the correct spelling of Seiichi Yukimura, **N-Near-N**.

Let me explain something in the last chapter that may have confused some people. Sakaki and Ryoma are cousins, and Sakaki used to teach Ryoma about music. But in chapter one, they acted like strangers to each other. Think about it like this. If Ryoma and Sakaki acted like they knew each other as cousins and teacher/student, then the regulars would have been super nosy about their relationship. The more persistent ones like Fuji, Inui, and Yanagi would have decided to research Ryoma's background and most likely find out Ryoma's true identity. Also add in the fact that in Chapter Three, Ryoma said that this was her first time being in Japan. Wouldn't it seem strange that she didn't seek out her family members if it was her first time? And considering that Sakaki is very professional when it comes to tennis, he tries not to put personal feelings before the tennis team. That is why he and Ryoma acted like strangers to each other in the beginning. Ryuuzaki-sensei is an old family friend and knows of the two's relationship.

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language (**_**Language)**_**.**

**.**

**Summary of what has happened so far:** Ryoma Echizen is now attending Phoenix Star Academy in Japan, withholding the fact that she is in reality the Prince of Tennis. It is revealed that she and Sakaki-sensei are related as cousins. Four people besides the two tennis coaches know of Ryoma's true identity: Kabaji, Jiro, Yagyuu, and Niou. However, two of those players know who Ryoma really is, but she doesn't know that they have learned her secret. Add into the fact that Ryoma has the school's most popular guys after her heart and that she has been swindled into playing against Fudomine High for Rikkaidai, her school life is going to be in for a ride. Oh and did I mention that several of her international friends are coming to Star Academy very, very soon?

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===============…..Chapter 14….I Spy…..===================

"Where is she?" An agitated Yukimura asked out loud for the twentieth time in the last five minutes. The blunette checked the watch on his wrist again before rechecking the time on the clock tower nearby.

"Don't worry, buchou. She'll make it here on time." The second year of Rikkaidai said before clasping a hand on his senpai's shoulder. The atmosphere dropped several degrees as the Child of God turned his basilisk stare to his teammate.

"Don't worry? You are telling me not to worry when we only have twenty minutes to turn in our registration and our main player is not here?" Yukimura said in a velvety soft voice. "You are telling me not to worry when it takes about twenty-five minutes to get here from the school by car and thirty-three by walking?"

As the captain of Rikkaidai directed his wrath onto Kirihara, said boy was breaking out in sweats and nervously backing away from his captain as Yukimura continued to glare at him. The others were wisely staying out of their buchou's way.

Yagyuu pushed his glasses up his nose and conferred with Yanagi. "Renji, if buchou continues to stalk Akaya like that, Akaya won't be able to play today."

Yanagi observed the situation in front of him for several moments before nodding in agreement. "I agree. Seiichi is scary enough as is, but when it comes to Ryoma, he seems to act more aggressive." The closed-eyed teenager turned to his other friend on the side of him. "Sanada, if you don't rescue Akaya, he won't be fit to play later."

The fukubuchou inwardly sighed to himself before making his way to the troublesome pair. _Why am I the one who has to be doing the rescuing? **Sigh** Where are you Ryoma-chan?"_

(About ten minutes earlier)

**BZZ**….**BZZ****……The alarm clock of one certain girl went off for several minutes before being snoozed. A couple of minutes later, the alarm clock met its doom as it was thrown against a nearby wall, shattering into a dozen pieces and ending its life.

Ryoma Echizen was cocooned in her multiple blankets and settled into comfy pillows as she continued to sleep. So imagine her surprise, and anger, when her door is thrown forcibly open and a bucket of water is splashed on her. Scratch that. Make that an extremely cold bucket of water.

The girl sat up right away and was ready to let loose her wrath on the intruder. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU……" Then the teenager recognized the person before her and calmed herself down. "What the heck did you do that for Sakaki-niisan?"

Sakaki ignored his cousin's cousin and headed straight for her dressers. As Ryoma watched in a dazed and confused manner, her cousin was doing his own thing.

The tennis coach was ruffling through the Ryoma's dressers and throwing out articles of tennis clothing onto the bed. Then he opened her closet and took out her tennis bag before proceeding to place her rackets inside of it. He finished his tasks before looking up at her and saw the remains of her clock near the wall across the room. The man shook his head before speaking.

"The tennis match is today."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at his comment. She got out of bed and went into her bathroom. Through the door, she spoke to her cousin. "Yeah, I know."

The coach replied in a solemn, but with a hint of impatience, tone. "You do know that it is at seven o'clock?"

Inside the bathroom, Ryoma was finishing gurgling her mouthwash and spitting it out into the sink. Before proceeding to brush her teeth, she gave the man an answer. "I know already. The tennis match against Fudomine High is at seven o'clock tonight at Sakamoto Tennis Courts. I got your memo already. It's on the table."

As the girl started to brush her teeth, Sakaki went to the table and read the typed memo before his eyes widened. _Some idiot put the wrong time!_

"Ryoma, the match is at seven this morning."

The tennis prodigy slammed the bathroom door open before spitting out her toothbrush and toothpaste. "WHAT?!!!"

"And you have," Sakaki looked at his watch, "about twenty-four minutes to get to courts before registration closes."

While her cousin had been talking, Ryoma had hurriedly washed out her mouth and changed into her tennis outfit. Sakaki-sensei didn't say another word as he just handed the running girl her tennis bag before she ran out the room.

Taro Sakaki was left behind in the room praying to Kami that the girl would make it on time. At the same time, he was clutching the typed memo in his hand with a death grip. His usually handsome face was set in a frown. _Heads are going to roll._ In another part of the school, several persons sneezed and felt a shudder go down their spine.

-------------Sakamoto Tennis Courts--------------

More than a few Rikkaidai players were slouched against the public benches or lying on the floor with white foam coming out of their mouths. Of course, these players were the no-names or ordinary members. Yukimura-buchou would never harm his regulars before a match against a rival school. He would, of course, wait until after the match away from prying eyes.

The usually calm blunette was getting extremely nervous. "Where is she???!!! Registration closes in fifteen minutes!!"

The sight of their captain pacing nervously around the entrance of the court made the other regulars jittery as well. Then one of the regular's cell phones rang.

*Beep….Beep….Beep….Beep*

A certain purple-haired regular pulled out his cell phone and his eyes widening behind his eyes at the number showing on the caller id. The teenager walked away from the group, to the others' surprise.

"Hello, Sakaki-sensei. We seem to be in a bind right now." The Gentleman said without going preamble.

The deep voice of Taro Sakaki answered back at him. "I know. Ryoma left campus a little under six minutes ago."

"Why is she so late?" Yagyuu asked the coach. "She usually makes it on time to things."

"Some idiot," Sakaki growled, "typed the wrong information on the memo that was given to Ryoma. But don't worry, she'll make it before the deadline."

"I know she will." Yagyuu muttered lowly for his coach's ears only. He was aware of the stares and curious eavesdroppers nearby. "She is the prince after all."

"Shh!" Sakaki hissed on the phone. "That name is forbidden in public. Besides, it would do well for Seiichi-san that he can't control everything and that there will be things in life that he can't expect to happen his way."

Yagyuu gave a dry grin. "I guess you don't approve of him wanting to date your little cousin."

"Grr…" Sakaki muttered harshly. "Until her parents and brother get her, I won't approve of anyone dating my little cousin. I must approve of him first!"

The Gentleman of Rikkaidai gave a smirk as he thought about the various people after Ryoma's heart. _It looks like this school year is going to be filled with fireworks_. "Okay, Sakaki-sensei, I'll tell the others the news." The tennis players said loudly. He was aware that Marui and Jackal had crept up closer to him to hear his conversation. The teenager slapped the phone shut and turned around to look at his teammates.

The curious gave sheepish looks and the eavesdroppers whistled a jaunty tune to act innocent. Yagyuu walked up to the other regulars.

"Sakaki-sensei just called to inform me that Ryoma is on her way." The player smiled dryly. "It seems that someone gave her the wrong time."

Several breaths of relief were audible after Yagyuu made his announcement. Then Kirihara was the one who asked the question. "How come Sakaki-sensei called you and not Sanada-fukubuchou or Yukimura-buchou?"

Yagyuu thought about his question and thought back to the night before.

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+++++++++++++ Flashback……Last Night ++++++++++++

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A determined Yagyuu was pulling a complaining Niou into the office of Coach Taro Sakaki. When Sakaki had heard the knock on his office door, he hadn't expected the following events to happen. Even Ryuuzaki-sensei was surprised at the turn of events.

Taro raised a questioning eyebrow at the two boys before him. "Can I help you two this late in the night?"

Niou gulped at the foreboding tone that his coach used. It was an iron rule that all students be back in their dorm by nine-thirty on weekdays and one on the weekends. A glance at the clock showed Niou that it was ten o'clock. Yagyuu, however, wasn't concerned about the curfew.

"Sensei, Niou and I came across some very interesting information about The Prince of Tennis, Ryoma Echizen." he said.

"Oh?" The male coach replied. "What does he have to do with the fact that you are out after curfew?"

_It's now or never_ Yagyuu thought before squaring his shoulders. "SHE is what we want to talk about."

The eyes of Sumire Ryuuzaki and Taro Sakaki widened at the gender reference that the tennis player had used.

"What do you mean 'she'?" Ryuuzaki-sensei asked before laughing. "Don't you mean he?" Yagyuu shot a grim look to both coaches

"No, I mean Ryoma Echizen, daughter of Nanjiro and Rinko Echizen. Younger sister of Ryoga Echizen and cousin to Nanako Meino." The usually aloof teenager said before pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Sakaki leaned into his leather chair and clasped his hands together. "Maybe you and Niou-san should start from the beginning."

And so, Hiroshi Yagyuu recapped about the events that had occurred in the previous hours. Niou, the ever-constant Trickster, couldn't help but add in his own comments and views about what had happened earlier on in the day.

"And besides us two, Jiro-san and Kabaji-san of Hyotei know about Ryoma-chan's true identity as well. "Niou said as a concluding to their story. Sakaki was sitting back thoughtfully in his chair while Ryuuzaki-sensei looked at the two male teenagers.

"Well, it seems that my little cousin's secret is now revealed." Sakaki mused out loud.

Niou and Yagyuu were startled by his comment and it showed. Ryuuzaki noticed their reactions and laughed out loud. "So you two didn't know that Taro and Ryoma were related?" The old coach looked at her co-worker and laughed again as she saw his pained expression. "It's your own fault that they found out, Taro."

"I know." Sakaki said grimly. He looked like a child that had gotten his toy taken away from him. "It doesn't mean I have to like it." He mumbled.

"So wait a minute. Ryoma-chan is related to Sakaki-sensei?" Niou said incredulously. "But why did sensei act like he didn't know her?"

"Ah, it's because…if I had known her, wouldn't you and the other regulars try to pry into our business?" The coach asked in a bemused tone.

Yagyuu thought for a few seconds before confirming his suspicions.

"It would be easier to act like strangers and keep Ryoma's secret more closely hidden if we did so." Sakaki said.

"Well, now that we have told you what we know, we'll be returning to our dorm, sensei." Yagyuu said before he and Niou turned around to exit.

"Wait."

The cool voice commanded them to stop and they did. The two boys turned around with dreaded looks on their face. They gave each other a brief glance. _Are we going to be punished for breaking curfew??!!!_

"I wasn't done yet." The coach said. The two teenagers gulped. Their Adam's appl was bobbing in their throats. "You two are forbidden to reveal anything about Ryoma's true identity to anyone else. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, sensei." Yagyuu said, but Niou had something else on his mind. "Can we tell the three captains?"

"No." Sakaki replied quickly. "No one else is to know about Ryoma's identity. The only people who you may confer with are Kabaji, Jiro, and Ryoma herself. Besides those three, only myself and Ryuuzaki-sensei are the only ones at the academy that you can talk to about Ryoma. You two will look out for Ryoma and fend prying hands and eyes off of her. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

The look on Taro's face gave no room for defiance. "HAI, sensei!"

"Then, in that case, return to your dorm rooms and get a good night sleep for the match tomorrow."

The two teenagers left and closed the door the office.

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+++++++++++++ End Flashback ++++++++++++++

Yagyuu was brought back to the present by a soft clearing of the throat by Niou. The other regulars were looking at him expectantly. He gave a sadistic smile that reminded many of those present of a certain tensai of Seigaku.

"Saa…." He said, seriously freaking out several of the regulars, excluding Niou. "Why don't you call Sakaki-sensei and ask him yourself, Kirihara?"

The second year gulped at the cold look and chilly voice that his senpai was giving him. He rapidly shook his head and ran towards Sanada-fukubuchou for protection.

_Oni!_ Many of the players there thought as Yagyuu went to the front of the courts. But none of them dared mutter anything out loud for fear of the Gentleman's controlled wrath.

Meanwhile at a different part of town…..

Ryoma Echizen was on the run. _I can't believe some baka gave me the wrong time! I swear, when this match is over, head are going to roll. _The girl thought as she ran in the direction of Sakamoto Tennis Courts.

Traffic was jammed on the left of her, and Ryoma was counting her lucky stars that she had decided to run instead taking up a ride in a cab. The weights on her arms and legs slowed the girl down, but Ryoma was used to running with them and refused to take them off just to increase her speed. If anything, the girl considered this as a warm-up/training exercise.

The running teenager looked at her watch again and realized that she only had about seven minutes to get to the courts before registration closed. _Time to get serious!_ Ryoma thought before speeding up. The girl ran pass a couple of high school students from a different school, and scarcely noticed them at all. The students, however, noticed her.

The three students were carrying tennis bags as well. In fact, all four of them were tennis members from Yambuki High School tennis club. The shortest one was stunned by the speed that the girl had passed them up with.

"Sengoku-senpai, Akutsu-senpai, that girl was fast, desu!"

"That brat seems like she was in a rush." Jin Akutsu said before narrowing his eyes. "Her uniform looked like Rikkaidai's."

"Sugoi!" Taichi Dan said in awe. "She didn't look any taller than me and she was so fast. I wonder if she's a regular."

"Psh. Like the proud Rikkaidai would let any girl be a regular for them. Anyway, I thought that the boys' and girls' tennis teams were separate at Phoenix Star Academy." The silver-haired teenager said.

"What do you think, Sengoku-senpai?"

Both of the players turned to look at the orange-headed boy. And sweat dropped when they saw the love-struck eyes on his face. Jin slapped his face with his palm at his friend's behavior. _Here we go again._

"Dan," Sengoku said before clapping the boy's shoulders. "Your newest task as Yamabuki's tennis manager is to find out who that girl is."

"Hai senpai!"

"And for you to find out her hobbies, body measurements, likes, dislikes, body measurements, cell phone number, if she's single, body measurements….." Sengoku continued to ramble on and on about what he wanted Dan to find out for him. Jin could only shake his head at his friend's antics. _Kiyosumi Sengoku_ _is going to get Dan in big trouble one of these days_ Jin thought as the manager continued to nod and scribble down the list of things that Sengoku wanted him to find out about the mystery girl.

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------------------- Sakamoto Tennis Courts ---------------------

Everyone was watching the clock with eagle eyes. Four minutes were left. Then three minutes remained before the deadline. Two minutes and counting had even Sanada breaking out into a sweat at the thought of Rikkaidai having to forfeit the match against Fudomine High.

One minute and forty seconds were left until Yagyuu heard breathing coming up the steps. Ryoma was sweating slightly as she paced quickly up the steps and saw Yagyuu-senpai waiting for her. She grabbed his waiting hand and let him drag her to the registration table where everyone was waiting.

Seiichi Yukimura quickly turned in Rikkaidai's registration papers. "Rikkaidai's eight regulars and one freshman all accounted for and present."

The official took the papers and nodded. He checked the time. Ten seconds later, the official announced that registration was closed. The Rikkaidai tennis players all gave audible breaths of relief as they managed to make it in time.

"Oh Kami. I hope we never go through that again." Marui said before slumping onto the ground. Kirihara followed suit. The other regulars looked at them and then at Ryoma. The girl looked straight back at them, daring them to say something. Yukimura was too relieved to be worried about the health of his members.

"Geez, Ryo-chan. We were worried that you weren't going to make it in time."

Ryoma huffed. "It isn't my fault that some idiot typed the wrong time on the memo that I got. Besides, think of everything that happened as a mental exercise."

The tennis players looked at her with dazed looks. Jackal asked Ryoma how she was able to get to the courts so fast.

"Um…" Ryoma said in a distracted manner, "Traffic wasn't that bad today."

"Eh?" Marui said loudly, "I heard that there were traffic jams left and right this morning."

"Uh…" Ryoma was trying to think of an excuse until Yagyuu came to her rescue. "It doesn't matter how Ryoma got here. I'm just glad that she got here in time."

With the Gentleman acting as Ryoma's protector, the others decided not to question the girl further. They were still scared of his demeanor from earlier and didn't want to be the target of his wrath. Ryoma looked at her friend questioningly while he gave her a look that signaled that they would talk later. The girl nodded at his intent.

"So, I hear that we are going to be playing against Fudomine High School." The girl said, hoping to deflect any more questions about her method of traveling.

"Yes, we are. This is the line-up." Yukimura said.

Doubles 2: Sanada and Yanagi.

Doubles 1: Marui and Jackal

Singles 3: Ryoma

Singles 2: Kirihara

Singles 1: Yagyuu

Everyone looked at their buchou with surprise. Mutterings broke out among the tennis players. The regulars were also surprised, but held themselves up with more dignity and reserve.

"Fukubuchou is paired with Yanagi-senpai. The two demons working together? Woah!"

"Eh, buchou isn't playing at all, and Yagyuu senpai is singles one?"

"We only have to win three matches right? I guess it'll be up to Kirihara to win the match for us then?"

A certain emerald-haired girl's temper started to rise as various comments similar to the ones before were being muttered around her. Ryoma was not pleased by the fact that the other guys expected her to lose against Fudomine. _Those temes are going to get it later…._ Yagyuu and Niou were grinning at the thought of Ryoma blasting everyone away with her tennis skills and couldn't wait to see them in person.

"Not gonna be disappointed about not playing today, Yagyuu?" Niou muttered. He hooked his arm around his partner. Yagyuu turned his had towards the trickster.

Yagyuu replied lowly, "I wouldn't be able to play anyway since Kirihara is before me. But I don't mind playing today if it means that we can see Ryoma's skills."

Both teenagers started to laugh and that caused everyone to quiet down and look at them. They quickly stopped their laughter and gave the bystanders a glare that dared them to say something. Sanada sweat dropped at his teammates' antics.

"Now that everything has been settled, our match is in thirty minutes in Court B so let's start making our way there." The captain of Rikkaidai told his team.

Like sheep following their shepherd, the tennis members of Rikkaidai's tennis club followed their captain. All around them, whispers of awe and respect erupted among the awaiting bystanders. Invitations to date or even marry the regulars came from the numerous girls standing by the courts and Ryoma was silently keeping track of how many invites each regular got.

Yukimura-buchou was clearly in the lead.

Ryoma gave a look of amusement as she heard the comments about her fellow teammates and couldn't help teasing the person closest to her: Seiichi Yukimura. By the time that the Rikkaidai team arrived to their designated court, the buchou was red faced with embarrassment. Tachibana Kippei, the captain of Fudomine, raised a questioning eyebrow at the normally calm blunette's reaction to the girl. _Ah….so it seems that the Child of God has finally met his match…in l~o~v~e. Heh._ Kippei smirked as he thought about how much fun it was going to be if Fudomine and Rikkaidai played off against each other in the formal tournament and not this friendly match, and wondered if the development between the girl and Seiichi would be more developed by then.

The two teams did the usual meet and greet. Now it was finally time for the matches to begin. Doubles two was Sanada x Yanagi vs. Tetsu Ishida x Masaya Sakurai.

The Fudomine players cheered their two players onto the court. They were thinking that their doubles two could put up some type of resistance against the normally singles three and two players.

The game ended in less than four minutes.

Sanada and Yanagi walked off the courts with weights still on and hardly breaking a sweat. The other team, however, was not in excellent condition. Ishida was sweating profusely as he lied on the ground shocked. His strength or Hadokyuu was no match against the two demons of Rikkaidai. Sakurai was also on the ground. His muscles were aching and he could barely move. Sweat drenched his body.

The two Rikkaidai players were welcomed back with congratulations while the two defeated Fudomine players had to be escorted off the courts by some extra members.

"So how was the match, Sanada? Yanagi?"

"Seiichi, it was okay. They are nowhere near our level right now." Yanagi said in a calm manner.

Sanada spoke in a matter of fact voice. "But they are much stronger than last year's team."

"Mmm…Okay then. Marui, Jackal." Yukimura said, catching the two individuals' attention, "I want you both to wrap this up quick. Do whatever you think is best that will let you finish the match quickly. But there is no need to go all out."

"Hai, buchou!!"

The referee of the court asked for the Doubles One players to please meet on the court.

This time it was Marui x Jackal vs. Kyousuke Uchimura x Tatsunori Mori.

"I'm the Frontline Killer. Just try to get the ball pass me!" Uchimura boasted. Marui served the ball.

In the next second, the ball zoomed past the boy. The Rikkaidai players gave mocking looks at the two Fudomine players. Their opponents were filled with shock.

"Be awed by my greatness!" A certain redhead said, mimicking a certain Hyotei captain.

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In another part of town, Atobe sneezed during his warm up match with Oshitari. The ball passed him by and the point was given to the blue-haired tensai.

"Oy. Ore-sama declares that the point just now does not count! Ore-sama was distracted by a sneeze!"

"Whatever Keigo. It's time for your match anyway."

"Hmph! Ore-sama is not pleased or amused by your behavior, Yuushi."

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Back to the Rikkaidai vs. Fudomine match….

The match was intense. At least for the Fudomine doubles team. Marui and Jackal were playing with them, making them exhausted and sweaty. The score was now four games to one. It had been four minutes and thirty-five seconds already. Yukimura looked at his watch another time.

"Marui, Jackal. Wrap this up." He said. The two teenagers nodded at their captain.

It was Fudomine's Mori's turn to serve. Mori was sweating visible drops and his body was shaking. He managed to serve a decent ball, but Marui returned it. Uchimura got ready to return it as he waited for the ball to pass over the net.

But it didn't happen. Uchimura, Mori, and the rest of the Fudomine tennis members watched with amazement as the ball traveled along the net and eventually fell down on Fudomine's side.

Marui blew a bubble out of his gum. "Be awed by my g~e~n~i~u~s. Bunta's Tightrope Walking at your service."

After that, the doubles one team of Rikkaidai dominated the game. Marui whistled a jaunty tune while his doubles partner walked silently back into the stands. Words of congratulations could be heard coming from the elite school. Fudomine was shocked by how powerful their opponents were. More members of the school had to carry two of their regulars off the court.

Tachibana was also unnerved by the fact that his doubles two team was defeated in less than four minutes and that his doubles one was just overwhelmed in fewer than six.

**Sigh**

"Kamio, it's your turn now. Do your best." Tachibana said to his vice-captain.

"Hai, Tachibana-buchou!" The speed demon said before making his way to the court.

Over on the Rikkaidai side, Ryoma was just finishing the conversation between her, Niou, and Yagyuu. The closeness that the trio emitted made several of the other Rikkaidai regulars be filled with envy. It was Yanagi who interrupted them.

"Ryoma-chan," He said, making the girl look up at him. "It's time for your match."

The tennis prodigy nodded at her senpai. She took off her jacket, handed it to a waiting Niou, and grabbed one of her rackets. The other tennis members were silently pre-mourning the loss of singles three. Some of their murmurs could be heard by the regulars and by Ryoma. Niou and Yagyuu were silently laughing to themselves and Ryoma was seething with anger.

_Damn bastards. I'll teach them not to underestimate me!_

The Fudomine members were watching the girl enter the court. Then the referee made the announcement. "Rikkaidai's freshman representative, Ryoma Echizen, vs. Akira Kamio will now commence."

Fudomine tennis members waiting on the sidelines broke out into loud whispers.

"Wow! A freshman is playing against the fukubuchou!"

"Baka. It's a girl too! Kamio-san has got this match hands down."

More jeering could be heard coming from the black and purple clad members. Ryoma was seriously getting royally pissed. _They aren't even trying to keep their voices down! I'll butcher this guy._ The teenage girl was planning on having no mercy on poor Kamio.

"You got this in the bag, Kamio-senpai!!"

"Don't make the little girl cry!!" Some laughter erupted among the members until they felt a chilly atmosphere. Many of the Fudomine members looked to their left and saw many of the Rikkaidai players glaring at them. Even Kippei felt slightly disturbed by the looks being directed towards his team. He cleared his throat to gain his teammates' attention.

Ryoma was slightly shocked by how defensive the Rikkaidai members were getting in her defense. What she didn't know was that with the Rikkaidai team, only they were allowed to mock or make fun of their members. Any outsiders, who dared to tease the Rikkaidai regulars, albeit a temporary one, were subjected to the combined force of the Rikkaidai tennis club. With over seventy dedicated members, they could be pretty intimidating when working together.

"Never underestimate your opponent. Be they older, younger, girl, or boy, never underestimate them. It is always best to be on your guard against any opponent." The wise words of Tachibana Kippei rippled throughout the crowd. Someone muttered out loud that they were in awe of their captain.

Kippei's next comment made them all face fault and sweat drop. "Tezuka of Seigaku is always lecturing me about never letting my guard down. So he's really the one behind it all." He said sheepishly, a finger scratching his left cheek.

His attitude help diffuse the nervous atmosphere among his team members. Now, it was only half of the Fudomine team that was in a jittery state.

"Four games to two! Echizen's lead."

The referee's announcement shocked everyone there. The two rival teams had been so into glaring at each other that they had forgot that the match had been going on. Even many of the Rikkaidai regulars had missed most of the action. Only Niou, Yagyuu, Sanada, Yanagi, and Yukimura had been playing close attention to the game.

"What? What just happened? The game has been only going for a little under six minutes." Ishida asked in an awed voice.

"Akira is losing. How can he be losing? He must have slacked off during practice. I told him that he should have been practicing. Who told him to go easy on the girl? If I was playing, I would go all out. It's so unfair that Tachibana-san put me in Singles Two. But that must mean that I am a better player than Akira. But I think Akira is stronger than…"

"Be quiet, Shinji!!!!" Many members of Fudomine and Kamio alike shouted at the muttering boy. The Rikkaidai tennis club sweatdropped at the rival tennis team.

"Five games to two!" The newest announcement greatly shocked the crowd. Kamio, the speed demon, of Fudomine was losing!

--------------- On the Courts -----------------

"What…huff….what….are…huff…you?" Kamio asked between staggering breaths.

Ryoma looked at the boy before smashing the ball. "Ryoma Echizen. First Year female freshman at Phoenix Star Academy, at your service.

Kamio waited for the tennis ball to make its way to him. The ball sped its way to his side of the court and bounced back up. The members of the ground watched with bewilderment as the ball bounced straight back up.

Akira Kamio stared in wonder as the tennis ball had bounced straight back up from the ground vertically. Ten seconds or so passed before the ball zoomed back into the ground and spun itself into a circle. Kamio could only blink and wipe the sweat away from his eyes as the ball burrowed itself into the ground and refused to make a second bounce.

"Su…sugoi!" Kamio said in an awed voice. He asked the question that was on everyone who was watching minds. "What was…what was that move?"

Ryoma glanced at the jaw-dropping crowd and caught the looks that Yagyuu and Niou were giving her. She turned her attention back on the court and directed a smirk at her opponent.

"Like it?" Ryoma asked before continuing. "I call it **The Sixth Note: Soprano Smash**"

The teenager looked that look that the teenage girl was giving him. "But don't worry, Kamio-kun! I won't be using that move anytime soon again."

Said teenager gave a breath of relief. Ryoma continued to speak. "I'll just use other moves to beat you." She gave a devilish cute, but evil smile. Kamio was praying to Kami that he would be able to even stand later. The others in the sidelines shivered simultaneously as they saw that smile. The Rikkaidai tennis players glanced briefly at their captain. They were a little scared to see a smile that their captain usually used when displeased was the one that Ryoma had directed at Kamio.

The next return that Ryoma did was only recognized by the Rikkaidai regulars. The ball made a path to the ground on Fudomine's side and spun itself into court. The tennis ball did not bounce back up.

"Wh….wha….what was that?"

"**Bass Drive"** The girl said with a ready smirk.

The next point was taken with Yagyuu's laser beam technique. Then it was match point. Kamio was getting pretty desperate despite the fact that he was too exhausted to put up a decent defense. Ryoma returned the ball for a last time. Kamio saw the ball approaching the net and dashed towards it. His shaking legs pulled him towards the net, and the speed demon of Fudomine waited for the ball to cross the net.

It didn't.

The ball traveled along the path of the net. Everyone, including Yukimura and Marui, watched with wide eyes as the ball rolled along the net and eventually fell down.

"But…but!!" Kamio said stuttering. Ryoma took pity on him.

"Bunta-senpai's Tightrope Walking technique." The girl said. Kamio collapsed to the ground. "But know this, Kamio-kun, it was a good match. I hope we play again in the future."

Kamio nodded back at her. The referee called the score. "Rikkaidai's win. Would all players please enter the court for the ending ceremony?"

The regular players for both teams entered and said their goodbyes. Kamio caught up Ryoma.

"Neh, Echizen-chan. You can call me Kamio since we've played against and all." _She is so cute!!_ He thought.

Ryoma gave a soft smile at the boy. Nearby, the Rikkaidai members and regulars watched with avid curiosity and some with jealously.

Sure, Kamio. If you will call me Ryoma instead of Echizen-chan as well." Ryoma stuck out her hand. Kamio clasped it. "I have the feeling that we are going to be good friends!"

Both of them laughed. Tachibana called Akira back to the bus. The two friends said goodbye to each other. Ryoma waved him farewell and turned around to her team's direction. The looks that were directed at her made her startled. Many of the members were looking at her with awe and curiosity. Ryoma, who was a little slow in the romantic department, didn't realize that the intense looks that a few of the Rikkaidai regulars were giving her was due to how friendly she and Kamio had acted together. She thought that they were trying to solve the mystery behind her.

"So…" Ryoma said, trying to change the subject. "Let's get back to school."

The teenage girl started walking towards the bus.

"RYOMA!!!" A masculine voice rang out.

Ryoma turned around to identify the source of the voice. Before she knew what hit her, a body tackled into her. The tennis player was lifted into the air and circled around. Then the male figure dropped her gently onto the ground and gave her a hug.

"I've missed you so much, Ryoma!!!" He said.

Ryoma let her head finish spinning before looking at the male before her. Her eyes widened.

"BROCK!!!" She said in a high-pitched voice. "Good to see you!!"

Then Ryoma hugged him back.

Several hearts broke among the Rikkaidai tennis players. Yukimura was stunned to the core.

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.My longest chapter yet of 17 pages and over 6,000 words….I hope I never do that again. So tiring!!! 

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And that is the end of Chapter 14! I hope everyone enjoyed it!

P.S. I might not be able to get an update out next week due to me leaving town for the week or so…so please be patient until then! Thanks

Updated 6/27/09


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Will never own Prince of Tennis. Bwuahahaha……HA!

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! Anyway, I'm not really interested in getting a beta reader, so I apologize in advance for the minor mistakes that will be made in the future!

Plus, I had major writer's block ever since I had gone on vacation. Hopefully I don't suffer such a long block ever again.

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I apologize in advance for any derogatory, racial, or offending lines in this chapter. Please understand that it is just a story, and I mean no harm against anyone or any groups of people.

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Continue reading at your own discretion. NO FLAMES PLEASE.

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language.**

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================ CHAPTER 15: NEW ARRIVAL ===============

"**Ryoma, how have you been?" **Brock said ecstatically to the girl. "**You have grown much prettier since I saw you last year!"**

Ryoma brushed prettily. The girl's flushed face made the teenage boy laugh out loud and then clasp her hands with his own. Brock brought them to rest beside his cheek. Several of the onlookers became flushed in the face. One Yukimura Seiichi was also included in that category as well.

"**It has been a while, hasn't it?"** Ryoma replied, "**It seems that you have gotten much taller as well!"**

Brock leaned a little bit closer to Ryoma to close the distance between them. Ryoma tilted herself slightly backwards to widen the distance again. Romanticism was not Ryoma's forte, but some inner instinct made her move a little farther back from her friend. Brock was not put out in the least.

"**It has been so long. We must catch up over lunch." **Brock said**, "I read about an excellent sushi place. **Kawamura Sushi** is its name. Come, it will be my treat and I know how much you love sushi!"**

Ryoma was torn. She couldn't decide whether or not to go eat sushi or to go back to the dorms for some more sleep. _Sushi! And Brock is willing to pay, so maybe…._ A voice interrupted the emerald-haired girl's train of thought.

"Ryoma-san, may I ask who this gentleman is?" One Hiroshi Yagyuu asked his temporary teammate. Everyone leaned forward a little to listen to her words.

Her face showed surprise. Ryoma had forgotten about the bystanders during her eagerness to catch up with her old friend.

"Ah, sorry Yagyuu-senpai. This is my old friend, Brock Kinamoto," She said, gesturing at the subject in question. "He's from Germany."

"Ger…Germany?" Marui stuttered out. "Isn't that the place with the really long wall?"

"Ie. That's wrong, Marui. China is the one with the wall." Jackal corrected his friend. "It' called the Great Wall of China."

The red-head grinned sheepishly. But he continued to speak. "But Ryoma-hime, your friend is from Germany, right?"

Ryoma nodded her head slowly. Marui spoke again, but pointed at the blue-haired foreigner at the same time. "Then why does your friend have a Japanese last name?"

Kirihara also added his own input. "Yeah, Ryoma-hime. If he is from Ger…Germany, then how come he doesn't have a German last name like Hitler or something?"

The other regulars groaned at their two team members' idiotic curiosity. Sanada groaned silently to himself. Renji, who had been recording the past events dutifully in his notebook, looked up in disbelief at his kouhai's stupi…idioc….naiveté. _That must be the right word, right?_

"Akaya," Renji said, gaining everyone's attention, "Hitler was the last name of Germany's infamous dictator who was responsible for genocide of Jews and other minority groups. His name isn't that is usually taken into good context. Besides, you should know better than to assume things."

The second year showed his confusion at his senpai's words. "Wha…what do you mean by that, Yanagi-senpai?"

"He means, baka," A deep, masculine voice said, "that just because a person is from some country with familiar surnames doesn't mean anything. A person's name doesn't necessarily have to match the country that they live in."

The origin of the voice was sought out by the tennis players. By now, only Brock, Ryoma, and the Rikkaidai tennis regulars were near the tennis courts. The other members of the tennis club had been sent back to the dorms. Thus, the source of the voice could only be the blue-haired foreigner, Brock Kinamoto.

Everyone's gaze met his. The German citizen waved a hand at them. "I'm Brock Kinamoto. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." He said….in precise Japanese.

"Na…nani?!" Kirihara and Marui shouted together.

Hiroshi pushed his glasses back up his nose. "So, Kinamoto-san, you can speak Japanese?"

The teenager nodded. "Yeah, I'm adopted and my parents are linguistic specialists. They taught me several different languages including English and Japanese." His to-the-point explanation answered several of everyone's unspoken questions.

"So, Kinamoto-san…." Renji said.

"Please, call me Brock." The teenager said. "I'm so totally not used to honorifics being added to my name."

Renji corrected himself. "So, Brock. What are you doing in Japan?"

"Ah..That's right!" Ryoma exclaimed out loud, startling those around her. "I thought you guys weren't coming until a few days from now. Where are the others?"

Brock grinned broadly. "I snuck out early and took an earlier flight. The others' won't even know that I'm here until they come over to my house tomorrow."

The blue-haired teenager grinned and hooked his arm around Ryoma. "I came early just so that I wouldn't have to share you with the others." He continued talking until he realized that Ryoma was shaking under his arms.

"Eh, what's wrong, Ryoma?" The other regulars were also curious as to why their (temporary) female regular was shaking wildly, until she busted out laughing. The boys around her wore identical looks of confusion.

"Ahahahahaha!!" For several moments, the tennis prodigy laughed out loud and a few tear drops even rolled down her cheeks. It took her a minute or two to compose herself.

"Honestly Brock. You should know better by now."

The male tennis players were still confused. Brock was hesitant to ask what Ryoma was talking about, but he still did so. Her next words chilled him.

"You forget that you have Hiro as a best friend. He probably knew what you were going to do before you even bought your new plane ticket. If anything, he and the others are also probably in Japan right now as well and…" Ryoma said with a wide smile, "He is going to give you hell when he catches up with you."

Yukimura couldn't hold his tongue back any longer as he listened to the playful banter between Ryoma and the outsider. _First this foreigner comes and acts too close towards Ryo-chan. Now there is another person named Hiro ….and there may be more people as well? Enough is enough._

"Ryoma-chan," Yukimura said in his velvety voice. The gazes of the tennis players swiveled towards the blue-haired captain. "Care to explain what is going on here?"

"Ah, Yukimura-senpai," Ryoma replied before her stomach growled loudly. She grinned sheepishly as the others turned their attention towards her. "How about we take care of explanations over sushi? Brock's treat." Ryoma had spoken magic words

"Nani?" Kirihara asked in a disbelieving tone. "Is he treating all of us?"

"Is he, Ryoma-chan?" Marui also asked with puppy dog eyes. The two tennis regulars looked at the girl and Brock with watery eyes.

The blunette sweat dropped. He saw the bemused look on his crush's face and silently sighed. _So much for an intimate dinner of two. _"Sure, I guess I'm treating for lunch today."

"YAY!" Kirihara and Marui shouted gleefully before clasping each other in a hug to show their joy.

Brock noticed the pitying looks that several of the regulars were giving him. A silver haired teenager clasped his hand on Brock's shoulder.

"I feel sorry for you Brock." Niou said. "Those two have bottomless pits for stomachs."

Brock looked back at the two teenagers and turned his gaze towards Ryoma, where he saw the laughter hidden in her eyes. He suddenly felt very nervous. _Just what did I get myself into?_

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-------In another part of Tokyo at the same time. (Phoenix Star Academy is based in Tokyo)-------

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A seven-year-old boy was walking in Tokyo by himself. He was in an unfamiliar place and could not find anyone that he recognized. His only possession on him was a picture in his pocket and a tennis racket which he held closely against his chest.

His forlorn and helpless look made his silver-colored eyes seem to shimmer with unshed tears. The way he shuffled his sneakers against the cement sidewalk and how he kept his head slightly lowered completed the look of a lost child.

Several bystanders walking by the child offered to help the child, but years of training told him to not trust strangers and the racquet-wielding child would evade their questions and dodge away from the inquiring adults. Said adults would only shrug their shoulders and go about on their business once again.

After winding down several different alleys to get away from one persistent man, Toya Yama entered a busy street. A familiar sound made the boy travel to his right. After several moments of walking, Toya stumbled into Yagato Tennis Courts. The tired seven-year-old made his way to a table under a shade.

Toya had been lost for several hours and was hungry and tired. _Where are you Leo-nii? Where did Hiro-san go?_ The black-haired boy sniffled and his eyes started to water. The second son of the Yama family took out the photograph from his pocket. But before he could really look at his treasured picture, someone yanked it out of his hands. The boy swiveled around and glared at his offenders.

"Give it back!" Toya said in a demanding voice with a slight quiver. The boy eyed the teenagers standing in front of him. He was outnumbered one to four.

The one who had taken the photo taunted the little boy. "Is that anyway for you to ask for something? Little boys should mind their manners when speaking to adults."

"But…" Toya argued back. "It's mine and you took it from me."

The teenager laughed at the boy. One of his friends snatched the picture away and looked at it. He gave a long whistle. "Look, Maito, Nai, El. This girl is hot!"

"Let me see, Gin." El said before taking the picture from his friend. He too let out a whistle. "This sure is a nice picture brat. How about you give us this picture since you are obviously too young to appreciate girls."

"Yadda!" Toya immediately shouted. "Give back my picture of Ryoma-neechan!"

"So, the chick's name is Ryoma?" Maito remarked to his friends. "If I remember correctly, don't we have a girl who goes to our school by that name?"

Nai clapped his hands together. "I bet she's that girl that beat baka Arai from Seigaku. Who knew that she would look this good in a dress and dressed up like that?"

The teenagers laughed lecherously at the comment. The mood changed for the worse and Toya didn't like it one bit. He ran up to the one currently holding his picture, El, and kicked him in the shin. Said male dropped the picture in favor of rubbing his leg. Toya grabbed his prized possession back and started to walk backwards away from the boys.

"You little punk." El said, rubbing his shin. "How dare you try to kick me!"

One of the boys, Gin, laughed. "The brat's got some spirit, but look." He said before picking up something. "The brat has a tennis racquet."

Another of the boys gave a wicked grin. "Maybe we should teach the gaki some tennis then."

Toya started to back away even farther from the boys, but they continued to advance towards him. _What should I do? What should I do? Wait, didn't nee-chan tell me to…._Toya did the only thing he could do at that point.

"Help!!! These guys are bullying me!! Help!!!!!" The child shouted loudly. His voice traveled far.

"Shut up, you little brat!" Gin said before lunging towards their target.

He never made it. Someone grabbed him from behind and held him up several inches from the ground.

"Ore-sama is not amused by this." Atobe said. All four boys turned around to see their buchou looking sternly at them. The other regulars were also glaring at them. Kabaji was holding up Gin by his neck.

"It is unseemly for someone your age to be bullying a child." Chotaro told them in a reprimanding voice. The normally gentle teenager glared at his classmates.

"You dirty the reputation of the second years." Wakashi said in disdain.

"You will be receiving your punishment when we return to school." Atobe decreed. "Kabaji, let them go."

"Usu," the tall boy said before letting Gin drop to the ground. All four teenagers quickly ran from the scene and back to school.

"Yushi." Atobe asked his friend. "You know the names of those four Hyotei players?"

The tensai of Hyotei nodded. "Good, then I expect you to turn in those names to Sakaki-sensei later today. Ore-sama will not permit such fools to be in Hyotei and act in such a disgusting manner."

"It will be my pleasure, Keigo."

"Anyway, who is this child, Yushi?" Atobe demanded to know. The Hyotei regulars turned their attention back to Toya, who was now clutching his racquet tightly against his chest. Shishido walked up to the child.

"What's your name, kid?" He said in a gruff tone. Toya clutched the racquet even tighter and took a step away from him.

"It's obvious that you are scaring him, Shishido. Let Ore-sama show you how it is done," Atob dramatically said. "Boy, what is your name? Ore-sama demands to know."

At the sight of such a strange diva and so many weird people, Toya started to bawl his eyes out. The tennis regulars were startled by his tears and were starting to get uncomfortable by the sudden onslaught of tears.

"There, there." A soft voice said. Toya looked up to see an orange-haired teenager offering him a lollipop. "Don't cry, we are just trying to help."

Toya sniffled. _This guy seems like he's pretty normal._ The next words spoken made him trust the boy.

"Oh, Jiro-senpai. You are awake?" Chotaro asked his upperclassman.

Toya recognized the name and was able to place the guy before him. _Ryoma-neechan said that Jiro from Hyotei was a good person! I'll trust him!_

"Like I could sleep with the kid crying his eyes out." Jiro rolled his eyes. "What's your name kid?"

Atobe scoffed. "Ore-sama was not able to find out his name, so Ore-sama doubts that you could…"

"My name is Toya, Jiro-niichan!"

Jiro and Oshitari exchanged smirks while the heir of Atobe Corporations' jaw dropped.

"Now, Toya-san, where are your parents?" Oshitari asked the child calmly.

Toya looked at the blue-haired tensai before deciding that he was okay and responded. "They're in France!"

Everyone exchanged looks. _How the heck is the kid lost in Tokyo, Japan then?"_

"Ano, then why are you here in Japan, Toya-san." Chotaro asked gently. Toya gave him a look-over before deciding that he was okay as well.

"I'm looking for my Onee-chan!"

"So who is your Onee-chan?" Atobe asked in a demanding voice. Toya quieted immediately. It was obvious to all that Toya did not like Atobe. In the silence, loud grumbling could be heard coming from the child's stomach.

Oshitari chuckled. "I think we can continue the conversation over lunch, don't you think so, Keigo?"

"Fine. Ore-sama is hungry as well. Let's dine on French cuisine in honor of our little guest then."

"But I don't like French food. Why can't we get some ramen or something?" Gakuto complained, speaking for the first time.

"Well, why don't we ask Toya what he wants to eat then?" Chotaro suggested, hoping to cut off any new arguments. His doubles partner, Shishido asked Toya what he wanted to eat.

Toya mumbled something.

"What was that, gaki? You better speak up louder unless you want to eat ramen." Shishido teased the boy.

"I want…I want sushi!" Toya said loudly. Shishido's teasing attitude reminded him of Ryoga-niichan's and he decided that Shishido was an okay person as well. "Sushi! Sushi!!"

"Okay, okay!" Shishido gruffly replied. He muttered underneath his breath, "hyperactive brat."

"Sushi it is then!" Oshitari declared before thinking mentally to himself. "The closest sushi restaurant that is decent is Kawamura Sushi. It is about a ten minute walk from here."

"Hmph. With the way Ore-sama's luck is going, we will be seeing those buffoons from Seigaku as well." Atobe muttered, grandly of course. It is Atobe after all.

Toya, however, was tired of walking. He was also very hungry and thirsty. His seven-year-old brain was moving very fast before he stumbled upon a solution to his weary predicament. The silver-eyed child ran up to Kabaji and tugged on his arm. Everyone looked at the boy and wondered what was going on. Kabaji looked down at the child.

"Can I ride on your shoulders?" Toya asked with puppy dog eyes. "Please, Kabaji-niisan?"

Kabaji had several, but hidden weaknesses. One was Ryoma and another was children with puppy dog eyes, especially one as adorable as Toya. With nary a word, Kabaji grabbed the child and swung him onto his shoulders.

Atobe was amazed that Kabaji did such an action without him telling him to do so. Gakuto and Shishido were surprised to see Kabaji tote a child around on his shoulders. The others thought nothing of it.

"Let's go then." Oshitari said, signaling that they should start making their way to the restaurant.

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------------In yet another section of Tokyo….Same time…..-----------------

"I can't believe that we are lost. Where are we anyway? And why are we speaking in Japanese?" Leo asked his companion.

"I'm pretty sure that we are in Tokyo and it is only polite to speak in the language that the natives speak," Hiro said in a bemused/sarcastic tone. He was going with the flow as usual and had no qualms about teasing his usually hot-tempered friend.

Leo smacked himself on the forehead. _I can't believe I forgot who I was talking to. Damn his sarcastic tongue._ Leo tried again but was watching his words this time. "I wonder where Toya is. He must be feeling scared right now."

Hiro scoffed. "Your little brother has one of the strongest set of survival instincts that I've ever some across. Knowing him, he probably has some poor sap emptying out his wallet trying to feed him."

The Yama heir looked thoughtfully to himself before grinning to himself. "Yeah, if it was anyone else, I would be worried. Besides, he knows where Ryoma goes to school, so he does have a place to go to if he ever gets really scared."

The red-head teenager laughed quietly to himself before speaking. "Leo, your family is so scary, that it is not even funny. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to hurt any of you. The Yama family has great connections."

"Look who's talking." Leo retorted. "I can just imagine the look on Brock's face when he sees you soon." The brunette quickly closed his mouth when he felt the temperature drop.

Hiro was emitting a dark aura and the look in his eyes was chilling. "Yes, Brock had better be prepared when I get to him."

Leo tried to calm his friend down. He forgot how vengeful Hiro could be and remembered the times when he had faced his wrath. The teenager shivered to himself.

"Neh…Hiro, how about we get something to eat. My treat of course!"

Hiro's attitude did a one-eighty. Free food was one of the few ways to calm him down. Although it didn't work all the time, except when it was Ryoma's cooking. When it was Ryoma's cooking, Hiro never failed to calm down.

"Sure…let's see….How about this place?" Hiro suggested before stopping in front of the restaurant. Loud voices could be heard coming from inside.

"It sounds pretty noisy. Maybe we should go somewhere else." Leo counter-offered, but Hiro wasn't hearing it.

"Yadda. You said I could pick…."

"No, I didn't." Leo said, but Hiro continued to speak as if he had never been interrupted.

"And I want sushi! Now let's go in." Hiro said before opening the door.

The two foreigners stepped inside and the noisy din quieted. A group of male teenagers wearing blue and white jackets looked at the newcomers with interest.

Hiro grabbed Leo's arm and pulled him towards a table. He glanced around before noticing the identical jackets that the boys were wearing. _Seigaku…Why does that sound so familiar?_

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33333333333333333333333333333333

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Name: Brock Kinamoto

Nationality: German

Age: 17

Height: 5' 10"

Birthday: November 2

Hair Color: Sapphire Blue

Eye Color: Pale Yellow

Nicknames: Unknown at this point

Brock was adopted by an American couple who specialize in languages and the family traveled around the world frequently. They eventually made their home in Germany when Brock was nine. He met Ryoma the summer before his twelfth birthday. Needless to say, he fell for her hard.

His best friend is Hiro. More info on him to be found at another time. Brock is an only child.

His hobbies include tennis and weight-lifting. But don't think that this guy is all brawns! He enjoys running and swimming as well. Brock is also very smart and excels in foreign languages due to his parents' influence.

Also, his mother is a huge fan of romance books and plays. Brock was constantly subjected to random lessons in love when he was growing up…..lessons that had intensified when his mother discovered the picture of Ryoma that he had hidden in his room. After all, who wouldn't want a beautiful and talented daughter-in-law?

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And that is the end of chapter 15!!!!! Finally updated after nearly a month of no-show!!

So sorry for that!! But guess what! I just celebrated my birthday the other day! Not telling my real age of course!

Updated 7/23/09


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis at this point of time. Nor do I see myself owning it in the near or far future as well.

Author's Note: I'm trying to make up for the long hiatus with this quick chapter update to go with the one before it. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!!

I really do appreciate all of the reviews and dedicated readers! I love reading the comments everyone has been leaving.

Please don't forget to vote on the poll located on my profile page. It ends July 29, 2009.

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language.**

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=========== Chapter 16……..Please Don't Hurt Me!!! ===============

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Hiro and Leo had entered Kawamura Sushi restaurant whereupon eight pairs of eyes settled onto them. The black-haired teenager, Leo, was dragged unceremoniously by his calm friend, Hiro, to an empty table nearest to the door.

The red-head foreigner scanned his surroundings before noticing the identical blue and white jerseys strewn about the restaurant. He was able to read the word "Seigaku" on the back of one of the jackets. _Seigaku….Why does that sound so familiar?_ Hiro thought before he heard his stomach growl. Loudly.

"Heh," he said sheepishly, "Guess I must be hungrier than I thought."

After deciding that the newcomers weren't going to bother them, the Seigaku regulars had decided to return to their own business and were enjoying themselves as usual. Tezuka was being his stoic self as usual. Kikumaru was trying to steal Oishi's anagi while Oishi was trying to calm Momoshiro and Kaidoh down. Inui was scribbling his notebook as usual while Fuji was watching everyone with bemused eyes.

"Oy, Takashi! Get off your butt and go greet the new customers while I fill out this latest order," Taro Kawamura (1) told his son. The shy, but dutiful, Kawamura went over to greet the guests. As he approached, the voices of the two new arrivals were steadily rising.

_The guy with the silver eyes is getting pretty heated over something. I hope nothing bad happens._ Kawamura thought as he shuffled over to the two foreigners' table. Leo, on the other hand, didn't care if he and Hiro had an audience. He just continued talking.

"Tsk. You're always hungry. I mean, when aren't you hungry is what I should be asking you," Leo ranted on, "I remember when I treated you, Brock, and Ryoma out to dinner that one time…."

"Don't act like I'm the only glutton," Hiro interrupted his friend, "I always see you trying to horde all the food whenever Ryoma used to make us lunch."

"Hey, it's not like…" Leo started to say before he was interrupted once again. This time, it was Kawamura.

"Ano…Welcome to Kawamura Sushi. Can I take your order?" Kawamura asked. Hiro smiled gently at their waiter while Leo brooded momentarily to himself.

The two teenagers gave their orders and Kawamura shuffled back to his father. The other Seigaku regulars were still enjoying themselves. However, three of them were keeping an eye on the foreigners. And they were having no qualms about eavesdropping either.

"So anyway, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements for the next couple of days?" Leo asked Hiro.

"Well, we did sign up for rooms in the dorm at the Academy. We would just be checking in earlier than expected." Hiro logically told his companion.

"Ano…" someone said, interrupting Hiro and Leo's conversation. The two teenagers turned around to see Kawamura with their drinks and food. As the tennis player was setting their food onto the table, he couldn't help but give into his curiosity.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but are you two going to be new students at Phoenix Star Academy?"

Hiro turned his gaze towards the shy teenager. Leo ignored him and focused on his food. "Why, yes we are. My friend and I, as well as two others, will be new transfer students starting this Monday. Is there a problem?"

Kawamura hurriedly put his hands up in surprise and shook his head. "No. There is no problem. I…the thing is…."

"What Taka-san is trying to say is that we go to Phoenix Star Academy as well," Fuji said as he walked over to Hiro and Leo's table. "I'm Fuji Shusuke."

"Ah. I'm Hiro Takami. This is my friend, Leo Yama."

Fuji opened his cerulean eyes. He sensed a worthy opponent in the red head. "Allow me to introduce everyone to you." (Introductions happen and everyone knows each other's name.) "We are the regulars for the Seigaku tennis team. We usually come to Taka-san's family restaurant to celebrate our wins."

"Souka. Congratulations on your win then." Hiro told Fuji. Leo was still eating his food until he perked up suddenly. The black-haired teenager focused his gaze onto the restaurant door.

"What's up, Leo?" Hiro asked his friend in concern. Not really. Hiro was just curious as to what would make Leo perk up like that. Usually it was Toya or Ryoma that made the teenager go all alert like that.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Kawamura asked worriedly. He hoped that his new friends were enjoying the food.

"Or did you eat too fast and get an upset stomach," Fuji mentioned in an amused voice. He hoped to see Leo suffer. Well, Fuji always likes to see other people suffer, so no surprise there!

Before Leo could answer, the door opened and the regulars of Hyotei filed into the restaurant. Atobe was leading and Kabaji, with a Toya on his shoulders, brought up the rear. The heir to Atobe Corporations scanned the room before settling onto Tezuka.

"It has been a while Tezuka. Ore-sama gathers that Seigaku was triumph in its friendly matches?"

Tezuka nodded. "I didn't expect to see you here Atobe."

"Saa…neither did I." Fuji said, trying to pick a fight with Atobe. They both glared at each other. After all, they were rivals in love. "I had no idea the heir to the Atobe Corporations would ever deign to eat at a sushi restaurant."

Atobe looked ready to bust a vein at the rate that his vein was throbbing on his forehead. Something about Fuji always managed to get Atobe riled up. Luckily (maybe) Oshitari took over the reins. "We were originally going to eat at another place, but our guest decided that he wanted sushi."

The tensai of Hyotei let his gaze wander to the child on Kabaji's shoulders. Everyone's eyes trailed after his. Leo stood up suddenly.

"Toya, what are you doing on that guy's shoulders?" Leo scolded his little brother, "You shouldn't trouble others like that."

A somewhat saddened Toya climbed down his carrier's shoulders via his back. Toya looked at his brother with watery eyes.

Kikumaru couldn't stand to see the kid in tears. "Hoy! Hoy! You didn't have to yell at him like that. He's just a kid."

"Yeah. Besides, Kabaji-san didn't mind at all, right?" Jiro added. The silent giant nodded.

Momoshiro also added his two cents in. "Toya-san was just having fun. You should really relax man." He clapped a hand onto Leo's shoulders. The heir of the Yama group swiveled around to glare at Momoshiro.

"Look, Momo-san. He knows better than to do things like this." Leo ordered. "And don't try telling me to relax. I'll relax when I want to. Got that?!"

The violet-eyed power player and silver-eyed foreigner butted heads. Imaginary static and lightening was sparking between them. Hiro sighed.

"Now, now…why don't we just all calm down and…"

"You keep out of this!" Both boys shouted simultaneously. Hiro moved his head back in surprise. Then his eyes narrowed and the temperature got drastically cooler. Both Leo and Momoshiro felt the sudden drop in room temperature and exchanged panicked looks with one another as they turned to look hesitantly at Hiro.

"What the hell did you just tell me to do?" Hiro said in a chilling voice. Dark bolts (imaginary) were shooting out of his eyes. A crazy background of a blizzard occurring with snow-covered hills filled with graves appeared behind the red head.

"Why don't you guys try saying it one more time?" Hiro asked. "I promise I won't do anything bad."

Both teenagers rapidly shook their heads. They slowly started taking steps backwards, away from the enraged Hiro. But they weren't getting too far. Hiro was also taking steps forward as well. Suddenly he lunged ahead and closed the distance. The normally docile red-head grabbed the collars of the two teenagers.

"Why don't we three have a nice little talk away from everyone?" Hiro started to say. "It won't hurt too…."

Suddenly a body flew through the door of the restaurant. A male body hit the floor of the restaurant where he laid unconscious. His uniform was that of Phoenix Star Academy. Everyone looked outside where a lone figure stood. She walked inside.

"Damn bastard shouldn't have been trying to feel up on me." Ryoma said angrily.

The Rikkaidai regulars followed timidly behind with Brock standing directly next to Niou, his newfound best Japanese buddy.

The occupants of the restaurant looked at the new arrivals in surprise. The Rikkaidai regulars were surprised to see the other two tennis teams inside as well. One small figure was quick to get out of his stupor and ran up to Ryoma.

By instinct, Ryoma caught Toya and lifted him up into her arms. She gave him a hug before looking at him.

"I missed you so much, Ryo-neechan!" He cried out before hugging her again. "Nii-chan's been bullying me!"

At mention of Toya's older brother, Ryoma and Brock looked around the room and were surprised to see Hiro and Leo inside as well.

"Hiro? Leo?" Ryoma asked.

"Ryoma?" Leo said.

"Hey, Hiro!" Brock remarked.

"I'm going to kill you." Hiro replied. Brock hid behind Ryoma.

Leo and Hiro walked towards Brock and Ryoma. They each gave Ryoma hug and smacked Brock on the head. All four…five including Toya, were oblivious to the bystanders.

All of Phoenix Star Academy's elite tennis players were looking at each other in confusion. To sum up everyone's mood, Shishido said only one line:

"What the hell is going on here?!"

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Notes:

(1) Taro Kawamura is the name of Takashi Kawamura's father. I couldn't remember his real name so I decided to make one up.

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End to Chapter 16. Yea, I know that it is pretty short compared to my usual long chapters, but I just thought this was a nice place to put a cliffhanger.

Evil laughter!!! I deliberately made this chapter to end at that point. Last chance to vote on the poll!!! The poll will end on Wednesday, July 29, 2009!!!

Updated 7/24/09.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait. From now on, I have no idea when my regular updates will be. Um…starting after chapter ten, I think, there are character intros for the original characters, so have fun reading those. Sorry if Ryoma is a little emotional in this chapter!

This chapter took so many tries to type…..

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language.**

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============ Chapter 17: New Roommates ===============

"Does anyone want to explain what's going on?" Kirihara of Rikkaidai asked out loud to his teammates. The second year student turned his head to look at his friends. He noticed that they, too, had looks of bewilderment on their faces.

"Kirihara-san, if I knew what was going on; I would explain it to you. But I, myself would like an explanation." Yanagi, the data master, said to him. The only thing that they could do was look on at the drama developing before them. Marui, however, was full of curiosity.

"What I would like to know is how Ryoma-hime threw that guy through the door like that." Marui asked loudly. He and Kirihara started to guess wildly to explain how Ryoma was able to do martial arts. Their guesses ranged from her being a witness in protective custody to being the daughter of a millionaire in need of being able to defend herself. By that point, the Gentleman decided to put a stop to their useless mutterings.

Yagyuu, who had the fortune of knowing Ryoma's history more than the others, was the one who answered his question with an actual sensible answer. "I happened to have overheard Ryoma telling one of her friends that she had taken some self-defense classes on her mother's request. Something about the dangers of perverts and blossoming young girls were also mentioned, but I stopped listening by then."

The matter-of-fact statement made the others sweat drop. With such a reasonable explanation that was given by one of their more serious members of their group, Marui and Kirihara stopped with the random hypotheses.

The other regulars looked at the purple-haired teenager with questioning eyes, but he ignored their looks. Niou, on the other hand, was shaking with constrained laughter. _Who knew that Yagyuu could lie so well like that? Seems like acting like Ryoma's personal bodyguard is going to be much more fun than I thought!_

Meanwhile, the other two tennis teams of Phoenix Star Academy were also watching the foreigners meet and greet each other.

Fuji opened his eyes to reveal his famous cerulean shaded eyes. A small frown was on his face. "I wonder how Takami-san and Yama-san know Ryo-chan."

The hint of worry in his voice made Kikumaru jump onto his friend's back. The red head tried to soothe his friend's worries. "Nya. Maybe they know the ochibi from somewhere."

"Mmm…Now that ore-sama thinks about it," Atobe said, rudely interrupted their conversation, "Ryo-hime rarely talks about her life from before she came here."

"And her personal record has been sealed off as well." Inui stated, causing the Hyotei and Seigaku regulars that were nearby to give him weird looks. Tezuka frowned at his teammate.

"Inui, care to explain how you know that?" The captain of the Seigaku team asked/ordered his friend.

Everyone stared at Inui. A small blush crept onto his cheeks. "Well…..I was just happening to update my collection of data on all of the new tennis members of the club, and I had decided to check out all of the new first years. I was able to get to everyone's student file before I ran into a security wall on Ryoma-chan's file."

Eiji smiled a cheshire grin before jokingly stating, "Hoy, hoy. Inui is a pervert. Trying to peek on the ochibi like that."

The regulars glanced once more at Inui who was furiously blushing at that point. Atobe and Fuji stalked up to the data collector and glared at him. A frightened Inui put up his hands in defense.

"Ore-sama will not allow for anyone to spy on his hime. Not even for the sake of your precious 'data collecting!'" Atobe Keigo decreed to Inui. The atmosphere cooled around the data master.

The temperature around Inui went down several degrees. But before he could let out a breath of relief, the tensai added his two cents in. "Saa…Inui, how would you like to try a Penal Tea of my own making when we get back to the dorms?" Fuji asked his friend in a chilling voice. As far as threats went, Fuji's was ranked in the top five known to Seigaku history.

The other regulars around the trio promptly took several steps away from the group. Everyone, and I mean everyone in the whole entire school, knew what bizarre taste buds Fuji Shusuke had. They were not eager to have the sadistic tensai set his sights onto them and stood quiet. Inwardly, the Seigaku tennis players were silently sending their goodbyes to Inui. Not even Tezuka was willing to risk his taste buds for Inui.

_The last time I ate something made by Fuji, my taste buds were messed up for a month!_ Tezuka thought to himself before shuddering. _I'll never look at broccoli the same way again._

"Wait! Wait! I wasn't able to find anything out anyway!" Inui said in a last attempt for mercy. "I couldn't get any data on Ryoma-chan because right when I hacked into her file, my whole system crashed on me and I lost all of my files."

By this point, the bespectacled third year was crying buckets of tears. "All that time inputting my data into the computer was wasted! Wasted I tell you!!" By now, Inui was having a complete meltdown due to him remembering the repressed memories of him losing all of his data. Needless to say, Fuji and Atobe left him alone after that. They had both decided that him remembering the painful memories of losing all of his data was punishment enough. What they didn't realize, however, was that the Rikkaidai regulars, Ryoma, and the foreigners, had already spread themselves around the restaurant to have lunch.

Ryoma, Toya, Niou, Jiro, Brock, and Kabaji joined Hiro and Leo at their table.

"It's so good to see all of you again. I didn't expect for all of us to meet up so soon." Ryoma chirped out before popping an anagi roll into her mouth. She closed her eyes while she savored the taste of the roll. _It really has been too long since I've eaten a good sushi roll!_ The girl thought to herself before swallowing.

"So, what are you doing with tennis players? Last I talked to you, you had given up tennis." The red-head teenager Hiro asked his friend in an inquisitive voice. His comment made Niou, Jiro, and Kabaji perk up their ears. This was the first that they had ever heard of Ryoma quitting tennis. They sat quietly, hoping to listen on in the conversation.

Leo and Brock were also wondering the same thing. Leo was the one who spoke first. "When you left France and went to America, you were still the same person when I had met you. What changed to cause you to quit tennis?"

Ryoma's face darkened. _Damn it. Why do they have to start with the hard questions first?! _Out loud, however, Ryoma said, "My reasons are my own. My family understands why I had quit. That's all that matters."

Leo stood up suddenly, forgetting that Toya had been sitting in his lap. The black haired male's sudden movement caught the attention of all of the tennis players in the sushi restaurant. His face was set in a livid expression.

"You!! You leave all of the sudden with nary a warning to go live in another country without telling me! Bad enough that you didn't even tell me until you were already gone for a month. But then after years of contact and emailing, you forget! YET AGAIN! That you were moving to another country. And if that wasn't bad enough, you quit the sport that you loved the most!" Leo ranted at Ryoma. The restaurant was quiet.

Ryoma's face turned white. Tears were forming in her eyes. Then they stopped. _What the hell?!! I don't have to explain crap to him! He's not my father. Not my mother. And certainly not Ryoga-niisan!_

Ryoma, too, stood up. "Leo, we've been friends for years, but how dare you yell at me like that! You aren't my parents and you certainly aren't Ryoga. So you can shove that arrogant attitude up your ----"

"HEY!" Someone interrupted. A startled Ryoma and Leo stopped short. Everyone looked towards the source of the interruption. It was Kawamura's father, Taro.

"Who messed up my door?" The old man asked in an impatient voice. He pointed at his smashed-in, screen door. The outlined form of a human being was clearly marked in it.

"Ah." Fuji said. "I was wondering why it was so breezy at times.

The others at his table, Eiji, Oishi, and Tezuka, sweat dropped at his comment. Ryoma jogged over to Takashi's father.

"Gomen, Kawamura-san." Ryoma said before bowing twice. "This pervert had tried feeling up on me outside the restaurant. So naturally, I grabbed his arm and threw his body into the air. Unfortunately, he had landed through your door. Gomen."

The tense mood in the restaurant faded away. After apologizing to the owner, Ryoma walked back to her table. But she didn't sit down.

"I've lost my appetite." She told the others at her table before making her way to table where the majority of the Rikkaidai regulars were sitting.

"Yukimura-buchou. Sanada-fukubuchou. Thank you for today. I'll be going back to the dorms now." Sanada nodded his assent while Yukimura looked at her with a dazed look. Without another word, Ryoma left the sushi restaurant….leaving everyone with their questions and curiousity in full force.

…..A few second pass…..

"Tsk. Tsk, Leo. You know better than to act so hot-headed around Ryoma like that." Brock said before laughing loudly.

Seeing the other tennis players stare at him with unabashed curiosity, Leo's face turned red.

"Shu…shut up, Brock." Leo muttered before pouting and sitting down. Hiro, tired of his best friend's maniacal laughter, tossed a sushi roll into his mouth. The unsuspecting Brock clamped his lips together before swallowing the roll.

Then his face started to change colors. Brock's face became red, then white, and red again. Steam pushed out of his ears before the teenager finally managed to grab a nearby drink to cool his taste buds down.

"Whew..that was…cl…o…se," The teenager managed to say before collapsing. The cup that he had been holding fell to the ground. A mysterious, purple liquid oozed out onto the floor, and a suspicious hissing could be heard coming from the ground.

"That was some interesting data." Inui said before recording the past events down into his notebook. Another regular also added his two cents in. "I wonder who ate my wasabi roll?"

Leo, Niou, Kabaji, and Jirou looked at Hiro with suspicious eyes until he swiveled around and gave them a benevolent smile. One that promised pain to the person who broke the silence.

Lunch was a quiet affair after that….

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Meanwhile, with Ryoma……

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One very angry tennis prodigy was currently taking her frustrations out on the dough beneath her. After taking off, Ryoma had decided that she wanted to bake something. Therefore, she broke into her sensei's (Sakaki, her cousin) off campus cottage.

"Stupid…stupid…" Ryoma said while banging her rolling pin against the dough with every syllable, "Stupid…boys…All of them are so stupid!!"

Ryoma continued to abuse the dough before finally placing and forming into the pan. Just for the heck of it, today's menu featured apple pie.

While the emerald-haired girl proceeded to bang around the kitchen and make a loud commotion, her cousin slipped into the unnoticed. Only when she finally bumped into a nearby cabinet and let loose a stream of profanity, did Taro Sakaki made his presence known to the girl.

"If you keep cursing like that, your mother is going to skin me alive thinking that I taught you those words," the tennis coach said before settling into his chair with his newspaper.

"Eeep." Ryoma muttered in a surprisingly feminine voice before turning around to look at her cousin on her mother's side. "I didn't notice you were here, cousin. There's no need to tell kaa-san what I just said….is there?"

Sakaki stayed silent for a few moments. Ryoma fidgeted a little during the uneasy silence. _It seems that you've trained Ryoma well, Rin-chan._ The elegantly dressed man smiled.

"No, cousin. This will stay between the two of us…" He said while Ryoma gave a wide smile. He waited until she finished smiling before continuing. "That is, I won't tell her if you tell me why you kept muttering 'stupid boys.'"

Ryoma's face turned stormy. "That's because boys are just stupid in general. Especially Leo! That jerk demanded that I tell him why I quit tennis."

Sakaki interrupted her, "That sounds fair to me. After all, isn't he one of your closest childhood friends?"

But the golden-eyed girl continued to rant over her older cousin's statement. "He demanded me in front of all of the regulars! Now I know they will be bugging me for information now!"

"Mmm…I can see why you are so upset, but did you really have to break into my house and start making a commotion for all the neighbors to hear?" Sakaki said while Ryoma blushed prettily. "You're lucky I was on way home and that my neighbor had called me before offering to call the cops. When he told me that the noise had been coming from the kitchen, I figured that you had been the one to break into my house."

"Sorry, Sakaki-san. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." Ryoma said with her head hanging low. Footsteps could be heard coming towards her until a hand grasped her chin and lifted her head up. It was Sakaki who had raised her head.

"Listen to me Ryoma. You are my adorable little cousin and you're never too much trouble. Besides that idiot brother of yours and moronic father, you and your mother are counted amongst my precious people." The tennis coach said while watching Ryoma's face light up. "And I especially don't mind your cooking."

Ryoma laughed. The older man smiled before asking what was in the oven.

"Well," Ryoma started to say sheepishly, "I was pretty angry so I made about four apple pies. I had planned on making some cupcakes too, but had run out of ingredients by the time you had entered the kitchen."

Sakaki chuckled at her sheepishness. _Yes, Rin-chan, your adorable daughter is acting more and more like you each day. Pretty soon she'll have all the guys chasing after her. Wait….guys! After my adorable cousin…No way in hell!!!_

"Sakaki-san….Sakaki-san….Cuz!!!" Ryoma shouted into the adult's ear.

Sakaki rubbed his ear before asking Ryoma why she had yelled into his ear. It was still ringing!

The teenager sighed before speaking. "I had been trying to get your attention for the last couple of minutes, but you had zoned out or something. What was going on with you?"

Sakaki, knowing how cranky Ryoma got when someone acted protectively over her, and with her recent views about hating men in general, wisely decided not to tell her the truth out of self-preservation. "I was thinking that four pies might be too much for us to handle by ourselves," He lied.

"Mmmm…you're right. What should we do with them then?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Ryoma's mannerisms reminded Sakaki so much of Rinko, that he couldn't help but give her a hug.

"Sorry," Sakaki muttered sheepishly before letting her go, "You were so much like Rin-chan that I couldn't help but give you a hug." He hugged her again. "But since your family isn't here to finish off those pies, I guess we could invite the tennis players over for pie."

Ryoma let go of her cousin and looked him in the eyes. "No."

Sakaki sighed at his cousin's stubbornness. "You need to make friends anyway and your old -friends are here too. It could be a getting-to-know each other party. Say that you'll do it…..or I'll tickle you into submission."

Making good on his threat, the usually debonair coach started to tickle the surprisingly ticklish Ryoma until one particularly loud shriek came out of Ryoma

Suddenly, the door to Taro Sakaki's cottage slammed open and multiple footsteps could be heard coming towards the kitchen. Several male bodies ran into the room.

"Sensei, we heard someone screaming….is everything…o..k?" Atobe started out to say before stopping. The words trailed off and his mouth was wide open. Next to him was Tezuka and Sanada. Both of who had similar looks of disbelief and shock written on their face.

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**==== Keigo Atobe's POV =====**

I was walking with Tezuka and Sanada to discuss the situation with Ryoma-hime. Yukimura had declined attending the meeting due to personal problems. Or so he said. Personally, I think he is going to go grill those new guys all he can about Ryoma…

Maybe I should be collecting data on my rivals too?

But anyway, I had been walking with Tezuka, my long-time rival, and Sanada, long-time annoyance, when I had heard screaming coming from Sakaki-sensei's house.

The three of us looked at each other before charging up the front steps and forcing our way into the cottage. As we made our way to the kitchen, where the screams seem to have originated, I couldn't help but notice the elegant style in which the house had been decked out in.

_Sensei seems to have some good taste. He may even have tastes similar to mine. Too bad he doesn't have money like I do._ But anyway, I ran into the kitchen with the other two and asked my sensei what was wrong.

Even someone as great as myself was shocked to silence by the scene before me. MY usually ELEGANT and PROFESSIONAL tennis coach was leaning over MY Ryoma-hime. The object of my desire's clothes was rumpled and there was this white powder all over her and Sakaki-sensei. I started to see white and red spots.

Why on earth was my tennis coach leaning over Ryoma like that and why were those screams coming from Ryoma???!!!

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**====== Back to Regular POV =======**

Sakaki quickly got off of Ryoma, or rather he leaned back into a proper position and helped Ryoma into a standing one.

"Look, this isn't what it seems!" He said in a hesitant manner.

The three tennis regulars were still shocked. Ryoma impatiently dusted the flour off of her clothes.

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**====== Ryoma's POV========**

"Hello, snap out of it you three!" Ryoma said before snapping her fingers in front of Atobe's face. As if they were dogs getting out of a pool, the three shook their heads before focusing on her.

"That's better. Now, before any of you start getting the wrong idea, which I think one of you is already starting to do," Ryoma said before plucking Atobe in the forehead, "I am going to say this once and only once.

The trio of star tennis players quickly shut their mouths and stood at attention.

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**====== Regular POV========**

Ryoma took a deep breath. The three guys leaned slightly forward with held breaths.

"Ok, I'm only going to say this once."

Atobe leaned in closer.

"Taro-kun and I…."

Tezuka leaned in with bated breath.

"He and I…"

Sanada leaned in until he was barely a foot away from Ryoma's face.

"We are engaged to be married."

Complete silence.

"NANI!!!!"

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.And that is a wrap. After more than a month long of waiting, the newest addition to the "My True Self" family is here! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

I know I made Sakaki a little OC, but who cares? In this story, I control the characters, though I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Sorry for such the long update!

Updated 9/9/09


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis…or the awesomely (is that even word?) Bishounen guys! Lol.

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Author's Note: Well, here's to another chapter. Looking back on my update record, it seems that from now on, I'll be doing updates at least once a month. Sorry for not being able to update quicker than that!.....Does this even make sense? Agh…I'm rambling again…

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I feel like the story is progressing a little slowly. While typing this chapter, I had reread some of the earlier ones and thought them to be more tennis-oriented. Am I the only one to think so?

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***Someone….(can't remember exactly who)…had asked where Karupin was! Well, here is your answer!

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language. (Language)**

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============== Chapter 18…..Hey There Honey! ==============

Last time on…..My True Self….(Why did that sound like a soap opera opening?)

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Ryoma took a deep breath. The three guys leaned slightly forward with held breaths.

"Ok, I'm only going to say this once."

Atobe leaned in closer.

"Taro-kun and I…."

Tezuka leaned in with bated breath.

"He and I…"

Sanada leaned in until he was barely a foot away from Ryoma's face.

"We are engaged to be married."

Complete silence.

"NANI!!!!"

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Ryoma looked at her senpais with a solemn face. After several seconds of pure silence, the loud thud of a body falling onto the ground broke the tense atmosphere. Tezuka and Sanada peered down in disbelief at their fallen comrade: Atobe. A small cloud of flour fluttered into the air while the heir of Atobe Corporations lay on the ground with his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His body was sprawled inelegantly on the kitchen floor.

Sakaki slapped his face with his palm at the sight of Hyotei's captain on the ground. _This is so not handling the situation, Ryo-chan._ He sighed to himself. _How could my adorable Ryo end up so twisted like this? I bet it's all that Pervert Nanjiro's fault. He corrupted my poor Rin-chan and now he's done it to my innocent niece. _Sakaki frowned and proceeded to plot his cousin-in-law's painful punishment for the next time they would meet.

-------------------Meanwhile…..Somewhere in America -----------------

A certain monk was hiding in a tree reading his porno mags. Nanjiro gave a lecherous chuckle. _Rinko-chan told me not to read my magazines anymore….but it should be okay if she doesn't catch me._ Nanjiro chuckled more before hearing his name being called.

"Anata? Nanjiro! Where are you?" Rinko called out to her husband. It seemed like her husband was nowhere to be found and lunch was about to be done.

Knowing how painful his wife's "gentle" fists could be if he were found with his magazines, Nanjiro quickly quieted and stopped breathing. "I guess he must be inside already." He heard his wife mutter out loud. The tennis player gave an inaudible breath of relief.

Then he heard it.

"Meow"

The retired pro tennis player turned his horror-filled eyes to the left of him. Sky blue eyes glared back at him.

"Nice……nice Karupin. Good Kitty…" Nanjiro said in a low, pleading voice.

Karupin's already slitted eyes narrowed even more. This was one seriously pissed off cat.

"Meow!" Karupin uttered before creeping closer to Nanjiro. His claws extended themselves out.

Nanjiro shuffled slowly backwards on his branch. At the same time, he kept trying to shoo his daughter's cat away. _Damn Karupin! He's been a bad mood ever since Ryoma left. I'm still hurting from the claw marks to my rear!_ While Nanjiro had been musing to himself, Karupin decided that it was time to engage the enemy.

With claws fully extended, Karupin lunged himself at Nanjiro. The perverted monk tried to fend off the household pet without seriously harming him until…

***CRACK***

The branch that Nanjiro had been occupying broke under their weight. Nanjiro landed roughly on the ground while Karupin landed neatly on his head. The Samurai grabbed the feline and tossed him a couple of feet away from him. He crawled to his surprised wife.

"Rinko! That cat…He's evil, I tell you! Evil!" Nanjiro sobbed to his wife as he pointed a shaking finger at said cat.

Rinko looked at Karupin who was just sitting down calmly on the grass, giving an injured look at her. His face read "Me? Evil? But I'm just your daughter's adorable and loving cat!"

She raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Anata, Karupin is a loving pet. He wouldn't hurt you on purpose. See? Look at him. All he is doing is drag….dragging a magazine towards us."

The motherly lawyer's voice took a sharp edge as she narrowed her eyes at the magazine that Karupin was dragging towards her. _Uh-oh!_ Nanjiro thought before trying to escape. His attempts were futile as his wife had a death…loving grip on his arm.

"A-na-TA! WHAT IS THIS!" Rinko said in a demonic voice. Nanjiro tried to utter feeble excuses, but it didn't help him as his wife proceeded to beat him…painfully.

Karupin licked his paw and looked innocently at the couple. Nanjiro spared a glare at the demonic cat and could have sworn that he was giving him a smirk similar to Ryoma's.

Current Record

0 Nanjiro – 134 Karupin.

Looks like lunch would be postponed today.

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---------------------- Back in Japan…Sakaki's Cottage(?) ----------------------

"That didn't go very well," Ryoma said in a matter of fact voice.

Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. _First a moody Ryoma leaves lunch in a dark mood. Then we find out that she's engaged…to our COACH! And now Keigo's gone and done another dramatic scene. Why me? Why me???_

Sanada, on the other hand, was inwardly panicking while his face was neutral to the outside world. _What??? What??? Ryo-chan is engaged?? To Sakaki-sensei?? But that can't be right. Is that even legal? No!_

The looks of utter disbelief and inner turmoil made Ryoma cackle inside her mind. _Ku ku ku. This mental torture is so much fun. No wonder Hiro does it to Brock all the time! I've got to do this again. Maybe I'll try it in Shiro-kun or Horio-kun next. Goodness knows Horio-kun has been getting on my nerves lately….especially since __**that **__incident._

Ryoma heard a groan. She turned to the source of the noise and looked at her cousin. He didn't look too pleased. _Uh-oh. Sakaki-kun doesn't look too happy with me right now. Better move to plan F._

"Ahahahaha." Ryoma laughed out loud. The three remaining conscious males looked at her with wide eyes and also with a touch of concern. They weren't expecting her to laugh maniacally out loud like that. Sanada and Tezuka looked at their kouhai with wary eyes. A person could handle only so much stress and shock in one day after all!

"You guys are so easy to fool." The female tennis player said mockingly. "As if me and Sakaki-kun could ever get married!"

Tezuka gave a soft sigh. He turned his amber eyes at her. "Yeah. That's right. Students and teachers can't have relationships, right?" He didn't really expect an answer.

Sanada nodded furiously in agreement. But it was Sakaki-sensei who spoke up instead of the golden cat-eyed girl. "Actually, there have been cases where teachers and students have had relationships together although they were usually in secret. So it is quite plausible for me and Ryo-chan to have something "going on" as you teenagers would coin it these days."

The two captains' jaws dropped and their eyes bulged out after hearing their sensei speak. _And call Ryoma-hime Ryo-chan no less!_ Ryoma giggled at their expression. _Hehehehe. Taro-kun is so not helping his case right now. _Ryoma giggled some more before sobering up after seeing the pointed look that her cousin was giving her.. _Oh well. I guess I had my fun for now. Better tell them the truth before Tezuka-buchou gets a hernia or something._

"Mada Mada Dane senpai!" Ryoma remarked, causing the two players to look at her once more. "We're just messing with you. Taro-kun isn't in a relationship with me. He's my cousin on my mother's side. He's been watching out for me while I'm staying in the dorms and my parents aren't in town."

Several moments passed before Ryoma's statements completely processed through Sanada's and Tezuka's minds. Both of them simultaneously gave a small breath of relief.

"Neh, Ryo-chan. I think it's time that Sanada and Tezuka should know the truth." The tennis coach said solemnly, interrupting the now calm atmosphere.

Ryoma twirled around to give her cousin a puzzled look. "Which one?'

Tezuka gave the girl a startled look. "There's more than one? Just who are you Echizen Ryoma? And what secrets are you hiding from us?"

The prodigious girl tapped a finger to her cheek in a thoughtful manner and gave a mischievous smile. "Tezuka-senpai, Sanada-senpai. What I'm about to tell the both of you right now cannot go farther than this room until the time comes for the truth to be revealed." Then the impish look disappeared and then a face that would put Devil Kirihara to shame appeared. "Do I make myself clear?"

Tezuka and Sanada gulped audibly before quickly nodding their heads in agreement. With the speed of lightning, Ryoma's face returned to her normal visage: that of a beautiful teenage girl who would never hurt a furry animal or beat the living daylights out of a guy……maybe. _Oh wait. Didn't she do that already?_ Tezuka thought before turning his attention back to his mysterious kouhai.

"Okay, here's the truth.

………Some time passes………

"……" Sanada and Tezuka were speechless.

The former "Prince of Tennis" arched an eyebrow at her senpai. "What? Did I freak you guys out too much or something?"

Tezuka was the first to recover. He rubbed his face. "So. Let me get this straight. You are, or were, the prince of tennis. Your skills are internationally acknowledged. Your father is **THE **Echizen Nanjiro. And Sakaki-sensei is your cousin…who's watching over you while you attend Phoenix Star Academy while your parents and brother are due to head back over here in a few weeks…..Is that all?"

"Tsk. Tsk, Tezuka-senpai!" Ryoma wagged her finger at the adult-looking teen. "You forgot that I quit tennis and am now focused on other areas of interest."

It was at this moment that Sanada spoke up. "But why? Why can't you do both. You don't have to return to being the Prince of Tennis. You could be something else!"

"Like the Princess of Tennis!" The captain of Seigaku interrupted. Ryoma face faulted and Sakaki-started to cough uncontrollably. Sanada and Tezuka exchanged puzzled looks.

"Ano…" Tezuka started to say, but Sakaki cut him short. "For two of some of the highest ranked students in the school, you guys can be pretty dumb."

A ding interrupted the tennis coach's speech. Neither Tezuka nor Sanada gave much thought to the noise and barely registered the thought of Ryoma crawling out from under the kitchen table where she had fell.

"Anyway. You guys are pretty dense. When Ryoma had been masquerading as a guy, she was plagued with fan girls and stalkers trying to find out everything about her." He paused thoughtfully before resuming his lecture. "Now picture this: Ryoma in the spotlight as the _Princess of Tennis_. But she's in the school's tennis club that is about majority, males."

The usually debonair man stayed silent as he waited for his students to think about what he had said. Meanwhile, Ryoma kept herself busy by taking the apple pies out of the oven.

_Oh no! It's hard enough getting the players to concentrate as it is! But if….if they knew, then practice would never be the same. Kikumura would try to glomp her. Atobe would try to hit on her. Fuji would be sadistic. Kirihara would constantly try to challenge her. And I don't even want to think about what the others would do! _(Tezuka)

_Ah! Ryoma….Ryoma is the Prince of Tennis. My idol. …That means I'm not gay. Thank goodness. When I first heard that the Prince had retired, I was crushed, but then Ryoma came. And I fell for her. And now it turns out that he and she are the same. Oh my!! ***_insert fangirlish squeal***_ But…If she becomes the Princess of Tennis, then I won't be able to have her to myself. That diva Atobe would surely try to monopolize her. Seichi…***_shudder***_ I don't even want to imagine he would do. If it wasn't for the sane ones like Yagyuu and Jackal on the team…I would probably have gone crazy a long time ago….(_Sanada_)_

"You're right!" Tezuka and Sanada both shouted. They looked at each other and looked back at her sensei. "We won't tell a soul!"

Sakaki smirked. "That's my boys. Now go wake up Keigo and help Ryoma in the kitchen after."

The two tennis players proceeded to do what their sensei had ordered them. Atobe, after several attempts to be woken up, finally awoke when Sanada had kicked him in the ribs.

"Ugh…" the heir to a mass fortune groggily said. "What happened?"

"You fainted." Tezuka explained. "We've been trying to wake you up for a while now."

The purple-haired diva jumped up in an instant. "That's right! It's all because Ryo-hime and Sakaki-sensei…just…said that….they were …..gettin….getting…married!"

The captain of Hyotei's face drained of color as he continued to speak. Not really having the patience to deal with more diva scenes, Sanada slapped Atobe in the face to get his attention.

"Hold on before you faint on us again….Good" Sanada said when he realized that Atobe was still conscious and paying attention to him. "Ryoma-chan and Sakaki-sensei are not getting married."

"They…they're not?" Atobe repeated in a confused tone.

Sanada glared at him. "They are not getting married. Ryoma-chan was just messing around. Unfortunately….you fainted before she could explain."

Atobe….once he heard that his princess wasn't getting married to his old coach…tuned out his friend's voice. It was only until Tezuka snapped his fingers in front of his face that he snapped back to reality.

"Finally. Really, Atobe. You need to arrange for some lessons in concentration or something." The honey-haired captain fussed. "Now, we have to go help Ryoma bring the pies over to the T-dorm."

"Puh…pies?" Atobe, said in a confused voice. "What pies?"

Tezuka sighed. "Well. Apparently...Ryoma cooks when she gets in a bad mood. And after she had left the restaurant a couple of hours ago, she had headed here to back her frustrations out." And Tezuka raised up a hand, silencing Atobe from interrupting him. "She came here because Sakaki-sensei is her cousin who's watching over while her parents are…um…working overseas."

Atobe lit up like fireworks had gone off in front of his face. He smiled brightly. "That's right. Ah. I see….now that makes sense."

Before he could speak again, the object of his thoughts entered to room with Sanada trailing behind. The Hyotei captain frowned slightly as he noticed the thoughtful look that the fukubuchou was giving to _his_ hime. But as he was about to speak, the princess of his dreams thrusted a pie into his hands. He looked down at it with some confusion.

Ryoma rolled her eyes. "As I'm sure that Tezuka has already told you…I had baked some pies and now you three are going to help me carry them to the dorm for the others to eat. SO LET'S GET GOING ALREADY!!" She shouted, making the three tennis regulars make tracks to the dorm.

She turned around to look at her cousin one last time. "Thanks nii-san! I'll be back again soon!"

Taro Sakaki nodded his agreement before locking the door behind the girl. He slid down against its frame before settling on the floor and started to chuckle to himself. _Looks likes things are going to get pretty interesting…._

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Three tennis players and one girl made their way to the dorm where, surprisingly, all of the freshmen and tennis regulars were convening in the cafeteria. Even Hiro, Brock, Leo, and Toya were waiting in the canteen with relaxed moods.

Upon seeing his big sister enter the cafeteria, with pies no less!, Toya leapt up from seat to run to her. The conversations around the lunch room died down as the regulars were witnessed to a sight that they never expected to happen: three of some of the most powerful Star tennis regulars were trailing after a petite girl…each of them holding a pie in their hands.

Needless to say, some of the regulars were having trouble breathing while they tried to smother their laughter.

Ryoma laughed as she tried to fend off Toya's grabby hands. She placed the pies onto the table where her international friends were sitting. The three male teens behind her followed suit.

As everyone started to settle down, those that wanted a slice of the pie gathered around the table. Inui, always one up to gathering more data asked a simple question to their guests.

"So…since you guys came here a few days early, where are you guys going to be staying at for the next couple of nights?"

Hiro, Leo, and Brock looked at each other thoughtfully.

Toya, however, had no hesitation in his answer. "I'm sleeping with Ryoma-neechan!"

The three friends nodded at each other before giving their answer as well.

"I'll be rooming up with Ryoma!" Hiro gleefully shouted and watched the mayhem that started to erupt.

"Same here." Leo said challengingly, glaring at some of the guys around him.

"Looks like it'll be the five of us tonight!" Brock playfully remarked, enjoying the looks of astonishment around him.

"……"

"…….."

"What!!!!!" Several voices shouted at the group of teens.

All the meanwhile, Ryoma had been tuning out the male regulars and her old friends as she discussed with her female freshmen friends, Tomoka and Sakuno about the upcoming Freshman Sports Festival.

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Woohoo! 360 Reviews…Makes me happy. Lol!.

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And that's done for Chapter 18. Hopefully, I left a good enough cliffie to leave you guys wanting more. But unfortunately, I have midterms this and next week…so I definitely won't be working on the next chapter during those times.

Until next time!

Updated 10/11/09.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I…do…not…own: Prince of Tennis and all of their characters!

Author's Notes: Oooh….so…yeah! Sorry for the waaaayyyyy too long wait. Enjoy

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This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts._

**Conversation in a different language. (Language)**

==I guess this is a somewhat of a filler chapter?

=================== Last time…..in Chapter 18 ==================

As everyone started to settle down, those that wanted a slice of the pie gathered around the table. Inui, always one up to gathering more data asked a simple question to their guests.

"So…since you guys came here a few days early, where are you guys going to be staying at for the next couple of nights?"

Hiro, Leo, and Brock looked at each other thoughtfully.

Toya, however, had no hesitation in his answer. "I'm sleeping with Ryoma-neechan!"

The three friends nodded at each other before giving their answer as well.

"I'll be rooming up with Ryoma!" Hiro gleefully shouted and watched the mayhem that started to erupt.

"Same here." Leo said challengingly, glaring at some of the guys around him.

"Looks like it'll be the five of us tonight!" Brock playfully remarked, enjoying the looks of astonishment around him.

"…"

"….."

"What!" Several voices shouted at the group of teens.

All the meanwhile, Ryoma had been tuning out the male regulars and her old friends as she discussed with her female freshmen friends, Tomoka and Sakuno about the upcoming Freshman Sports Festival.

Chapter 19: I don't know what to say….

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Ryoma sighed as she stared at the ceiling in her room. The emerald-haired teenager was currently lying on her bed, wondering once again why there was a hyperactive kid messing with her hidden stash of manga.

"Neh, neh! Ryo-neechan! I can't for the next edition of Eyeshi…." The child started to shout while our confused heroine finally remembered just who the child was. _Toya,….that's right, those guys are here. How could I forget? I have such a huge migraine…_

Toya, after realizing that his big sis was tuning him out, gave a soft sigh. The miniature version of Leo got off of the floor and sat next to Ryoma on the bed. He leaned in to give her a hug. A surprised Ryoma glanced down at the little boy and patted his head.

Shimmering silver eyes looked up into golden, cat eyes.

"Ryo-neechan. Are you mad that me and mon frère and Hiro and Brock are here? Cuz, I don't want you to be mad at me! I won't sleep with you tonight if you don't want me here then." Toya sniffled. Ryoma shook her head softly.

"Now, Toya, I don't mind if you're here. You're too cute to be mad at. I just have a headache from earlier."

After hearing her calm reassurances, Toya quickly dried up his tears. A hesitant smile crept onto his face. "Say…Toya, why don't you go check on your brother and Brock. And if you see Hiro, can you tell him that curfew is in a couple of hours and to come back to the room before it?"

The seven year old child of the Yama family gave his idol a firm nod and gave her one last hug before departing the room. Once again, Ryoma was by herself and she took the time to contemplate on the events that had happened only a couple hours beforehand.

+++++++++ Flashback++++++++++

Ryoma was talking to Sakuno and Tomoka about the upcoming Sports Festival. Sure it wasn't for another couple of weeks, but a girl's gotta plan ahead, right?

"So, what's this festival that Horio kept bragging about?" The tennis tensai grimaced as she said the loud-mouthed boy's name. Sakuno giggled as she remembered about what had happened between them.

Tomoka responded, "It's a major P.S.A. event where family members of the students can come watch the student's athletic abilities!"

Ryoma's right eyebrow lifted slightly. "So, it just highlights the prowess of the athletes of the students? That doesn't seem very fair for those not in the sports clubs."

"No. Even though it's called the Sports Festival, the drama, home-ec and arts clubs also give some type of demonstrations, although….." Sakuno trailed off.

"Although what?" Ryoma asked her friend, trying to prompt her to continue. But Sakuno shook her head. Instead it was Tomoka who finished off her comment. "The drama club has the weirdest casting system. The director of the club…..is very…..unique in his casting."

The golden-eyed girl gave an indelicate snort. "You're telling me that there are people weirder than the players in _this_ club? You're pulling my leg. Surely there is no one weirder than Inui-sempai or Atobe-sempai?"

-Two boys gave a loud sneeze while they continued talking to the foreigners…-

Sakuno shook her head, once again, at her friend's joke. "It's not that he's weird in his attitude. It's just that he doesn't hold regular auditions. Like, students can audition and try out for roles, but for some, he'll not choose anyone and hunt for one amongst the people who weren't even interested. Then he'll stalk and bug them until they finally wear down and agree to do the role."

Tomoka also added her two cents in. "Yeah, and the director will work you to the bone. I hear that the final one week before performance, he'll lock the entire cast into the auditorium and not let anyone out until the day of performing. So you better watch out Ryo-chan! Or else, you'll get sucked into the black hole that is known as the director!"

Ryoma's trademark smirk appeared. "Mada Mada dane! Like I would be in a drama play. I'd be more worried about you Tomoka-chan!"

"Eh!"

"Since you are obviously very confident in stating your opinions, I'm sure that you will have no problem acting in front of hundreds of people! So I would watch your back if I was you!"

Tomoka started to shake. Sakuno rolled her eyes up at the roof and couldn't help wondering how on earth she was going to get Tomoka to shut up for tonight. _Maybe I can get her distracted with Horio? Maybe I'll tell her that he called her a loudmouth?_

Ryoma was about to open her mouth once more, but was interrupted when a hand clamped down onto her shoulder. Surprised, the teenager of many talents looked up into Hiro's face.

"So, it's been decided Ryo-chan that Toya and I will be staying with you until our rooms are ready!"

The girl shrugged. "Fine by me, but what about the other two?"

Hiro's smile widened. "Don't worry about those two. I'm sure that the people that they are staying with won't kill them before the next two days are out."

+++++++++++++ Flashback End +++++++++++++

Ryoma sighed and settled deep onto the mattress of her bed. _Maybe I'll take a short nap before the others come back…._With those lingering thoughts, the exhausted girl fell into a deep sleep.

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- With Toya -

The little boy strolled down the hallway, looking for room 35. _Nii-chan is supposed to be in this room. I wonder if Hiro is with him._

As he continued to walk, he could hear loud shouts coming from the room down the hall.

"Why the …stay here?"

"Ore-sama doesn't….especially with Ryoma-hime!"

"Blah…who actually calls themselves Ore-…Lame!"

"Huff! You are a plebian!...the greatness of Ore-sama"

_Bingo!_ Toya thought as he heard the slightly incoherent shouts. **Knock** ***Knock***

***KNOCK***, the youngest Yama continued to pound on the door until the door on the right of the room opened. A solemn faced Kabaji peeked out while a sleep-eyed Jirou lazily murmured, "Is Keigo and Leo-san still going at it?"

"Uso." Kabaji replied before turning to Toya once again. Toya debated on entering the room where there was lots of yelling originating from it to the room where Kabaji and Jirou were.

Approximately 2.5 seconds passed before he ducked under Kaabji's arm and entered their room.

"Hiya!"

Jirou, lying on the bed next to the wall that separated theirs and Atobe's room, opened an eye at the joyful greeter. A small grin formed on his face. "Yo."

Kabaji led Toya to his bed before sitting on it himself. He patted the little boy's head as he started talking .

"So, I was supposed to find Brock and Leo and Hiro and stuff and talk and play with them. I think Ryo-neechan is tired so I left her to go find them. But then I'm pretty sure my big bro is having a shouting fest with Monkey King, so I thought I could hang out with you guys for a while. Is that ok?"

Kabaji said one word, "Uso."

"Is it always like this around here?" Toya asked the pair. Jirou grunted what the boy could have taken as a yes but he wasn't sure since the older boy was huddled underneath him comforter. Not one for letting the silence settle in a room, the half French, half Japanese child starting to chatter with Kabaji, with the latter nodding every now and then to his words.

"Oh!"

Kabaji and a startled Jirou peeked out from under his blanket to look at the suddenly surprised boy. "I forgot that Ryo-neechan wanted me to find Hiro-kun. Do you know where he is? I think he went to visit Brock-kun but I forgot where he's sleeping at."

Jirou looked at Kabaji. "Don't worry kid, Kabaji will take you to him. He's on the floor below us."

Without another word, the tall, bulky second year lifted the seven year old from the bed and carried him on his shoulders outside. As the pair passed Atobe's door, more shouting could be heard:

"Seriously though,…..a prima dona!"

"Why, Ore-…..uncivilized commoner!"

"Wha..T!...the heir…industries…"

"Eh…You are…!"

The duo's voices trailed away as the Kabaji and Toya made their way into the elevator and the doors closed behind.

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"Neh, Kabaki-san, where is Brock-kun at again?"

"Second door on left." The teenager of little words replied. He set down the eager child and watched him knock repeatedly on the door. The Hyotei player waited until the door opened before making his way back to the elevator. If one was looking closely enough, a small smile could be spotted on his tan face.

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****Knock! Knock…Knock!****

The door to room 457 opened and a surprised face popped out from behind the door.

"Hiya, Brock! Is Hiro here?" The spunky seven year old asked. A nod from the sea-blue headed teenager was all it took for the child to skip into the room. He stopped short when he saw that it wasn't just Hiro and Brock in the room.

The tennis player got up from his bed and walked towards Toya.

"You must be Toya-san. Yama's little brother?"

The boy nodded in confirmation. The player chuckled at his reaction.

"I don't know if you remember me earlier but I'm…."

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Weeeelllll! That's a wrap for this chapter. I don't really have a clue who I'm going to have Brock be roomies with until I actually start the next chapter. Maybe someone from Rikkaidai or Seigaku this time since Leo is with Atobe?

Thanks for all those that still stuck with me! Honestly I have no idea how often I'm gonna be updating from now on so bear with me!

Updated 6/27/10.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis….Do I really need to repeat this every single chapter or have you guys finally gotten this remembered. Lol.

Author's Note: Have fun with this chapter. As usual, read and review please. There's also a CHARACTER DESCRIPTION at the end! Also, I've got relatives visiting for the next couple of weeks so don't expect an update until they leave!

Thanks for the "uso" mistake. Kabaji's supposed to be saying "Usu." But I'm too lazy to go back and fix it.

This is regular conversation.

_These are thoughts_

**This marks a different language being spoken**

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===============Chapter 20: Sleep Over================

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The player got off from the bed and walked towards the boy.

"So you're Toya-san, Yama-san's little brother?"

The boy nodded in confirmation and the player chuckled at his reaction.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm…."

Toya interrupted him with cheerful glee, "I know! You're..um…Yukimuso-san right?"

The two other foreigners in the room smothered their laughter at the little French boy's obvious glee. The other occupant of the room tried to calm the twitch above his brow. _Is this kid messing with me or does he actually think I'm Yukimuso?_

Hiro glanced at Toya and caught his eye and mouthed something to him. The boy let a mischievous grin fall on his face.

"Gomen! It's not Yukimuso-san….It's Yukimiso, right?"

"No, it's Yu…" but the kid interrupted him again before the player could continue. "Ah, I know. It's Yuki-onna!"

"No, Yuki-onna is the Snow Witch. I'm…"

"Ah ha! This time I know I got it for sure. It's Yukizura! It has to be!"

When the child took a moment to catch his breath, the lone pure Japanese student rushed in to say his bit. "No, Toya-san. The name is Yukimura-san and no…that's the captain of Rikkaidai. The one with purple hair. I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, but you can call me Momo-sempai like Ryoma-chan does, ok?"

Momo gave a bright smile at the boy who looked at him blankly.

"Oh well…why didn't you say so in the first place?" The French child said before shrugging his shoulders and taking spot on the bed next to Hiro. Momoshiro turned around and let out a long-drawn sigh escape from his lips. When he turned to look at the pair on the bed, he could have sworn he saw Hiro give Toya a high-five. _Why…was that brat playing…was he messing with me….? Ugh.. my head! Did a kid who looks like he's barely potty-trained just mess with my head?_

Seeing the pained look on his face, Brock laid a sympathetic hand on his (temporary) roommate's shoulder. The violet-eyed teen glanced at him with a slightly bewildered look.

"Don't think too much on it. Those two act like that all the time. It's a pain to handle. Believe me; I get it all the time"

While Brock tried to cheer up Momo-chan, a silent and scary predator jumped onto the back of his prey.

He purred out in a low voice, but still audible to the other occupants of the room. "So you think I'm a pain, Brock?"

A chill crawled down both Momoshiro's and Brock's backs as they turned their heads to face the speaker.

"Aah…No, Hiro. You are like…"

"A pain? Right? Both me and Toya are pains to you? I'm hurt. I really am." Hiro said in a sad, cracked voice. His eyes started to water. Brock was getting freaked out by his reaction. _What the hell? Was Hiro usually this sensitive? Oh crap, is he about to cry?_

"Ah! No, Hiro, a pain! You and Toya. No! You guys are…"

Hiro held up his hand to cut Brock off. "No, I don't want to hear it. In fact, we're leaving. Let's go Toya."

The child got off the bed with a heartbreaking expression on his face. He looked at the two roommates and sniffled. "If you didn't like me…you could have just told me…And Momo-san, it's ok if…you..don't wanna be…fwends…it's not like…. I got many …anyway…"

A sniffling Toya was led out the room by a sorrowful Hiro. Both Brock and Momoshiro looked at the departing pair with akin to horror and guilt. After they left, Momoshiro looked at Brock who had sat on his bed with a guilt-ridden look on his face.

"Wow…"

Brock rubbed his eyes. "Oh man. I…I didn't' think they would get that sad. Oh, what should I do?"

Momoshiro looked at his new roommate with sympathy. "Maybe if you treat them to lunch tomorrow, they'll be willing to forgive you."

"You really think so, Momo?"

"Yeah! That's how I got Ryoma to forgive me after I accidentally knocked her bento on the ground when Horio-san tripped me the other day."

Brock let out a hiss. "Ryoma must have been pissed at that. She's very touchy about wasting food."

"Yeah, I know that now," the Seigaku second year muttered before speaking louder, "So if Ryoma can be soothed with food, then I'm sure those two will be willing to do the same."

As the two talked and comforted each other with old war stories, a small figure crept away from outside their door. He continued creeping towards the elevator where a redhead pressed the "door close" button after he got inside.

"So how did it go?"

Toya looked up at his fellow conspirator and let a large grin cover nearly the bottom half of his face. "Operation: Guilty Seas was a success!"

"Good…good. So what is he going to do this time?" Hiro asked his little minion. In the background, a faint tail-like shadow could be seen behind Hiro….but of course that was only due to the lighting….right?

"Momo-san suggested that he take us out to eat."

Hiro chuckled and smiled. "Excellent. All of us can go to this restaurant that I've read about in the tourist magazines. It's supposed to be extremely delicious." _And extremely expensive. Cry for your wallet Brock because tomorrow night…it'll be having its own little funeral. Mwuahaha._

"Will there be udon noodles?" Toya asked, unknowingly interrupting the redhead's plotting.

"We'll see." And the conversation between the two ended when the doors opened to the elevator and they stepped back onto their floor. It didn't take long for them to arrive at Ryoma's door where Hiro took out his key and let them inside.

Ryoma walked out of the restroom when she heard the door open and saw the two smirks on her dear boys' faces.

"So what happened now?" She asked with exaggerated patience.

Hiro gave her his most innocent smile. "Why Ryoma? We just got back and you suspect that we've done something. I've only been gone for a few hours."

"Hn. I know you Hiro. The last time you and Toya were left alone for 'few hours', oyaji and nii-san had blond hair while Brock somehow ended up in Leo's bed. Neither of which were wearing any clothes except boxers!"

"Oh yeah…Well that was only once!" Hiro tried to defend himself but Ryoma continued on.

"And the time before that you somehow managed to convince Mr. Tyler that his wife was pregnant but with kittens."

"Ah!" Toya giggled, "Papa was so silly that day. Kept talking about how cats were invading France! Hehehe."

"Ok..ok!" Hiro conceded. A grin was evident on his face. "So Toya and I may have played a few pranks now and then, but this time you're going to like the result!"

The petite girl arched an eyebrow and waited for either one of them to continue.

"Brock said that he's gonna treat us to lunch!"

"Oh, and am I invited?"

Hiro grinned. "Of course, Ryoma. Although Brock doesn't know it yet, he's treating all of us to Tokyo A's high-quality food."

Ryoma let a whistle escape from her lips. "You must have got him pretty good to think he's going to do that."

He shrugged. "It's not my fault he fell for the guilt trip…again…for what seems to be the sixth time. He really needs to use that brain of his more on things other than romance novels."

Toya decided to add his own input into the conversation. "That's why the two of you are doubles partners together. Cuz you two comp..compli…."

"Complement" Ryoma helpfully added. Toya looked at her gratefully before continuing.

"Right, because the two of you complement each other so well! The Knight and Jester!"

Hiro only hummed before making his way to the bathroom. He gave a parting remark before closing the door. "Well, it's time for bed. So unless you two feel like sleeping in and missing all excitement that morning holds, you better start getting ready for bed!"

After Hiro closed the door, Toya looked at Ryoma and asked if Hiro was being sarcastic or not.

"I don't know. I really don't know, Toya." Ryoma responded while shaking her head. And before Ryoma could get settled on her bed, Hiro popped his head back out with his toothbrush in his hand.

"Oh and Ryoma, you have some interesting classmates. I have a feeling that that Fuji guy and me will get along just fine."

And he popped his head back into the bathroom before Ryoma could reply.

_What! Those two together….Kami-sama….may Phoenix Star Academy still be left standing when they get through with it._

Meanwhile, a collective shudder ran down the backs of nearly everyone on campus. One lone student startled to chuckle suddenly, freaking his roommate out.

_Damn it. I knew being roommates with Fuji-san was going to drive me crazy._ Marui Bunta of Rikkadai silently cried himself to sleep that night.

Just kidding.

But it was close though….

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

_Name:_ Hiro Takami

_Nickname: _Jester

_Age:_ 17

_Birthday: _February 13

_Height: _5'8"

_Nationality:_ German/Japanese

_Hair Color: _Candy red

_Eye Color: _(can't remember from previous chapters) Officially stormy gray-blue

Hiro first met Brock when they were both four but only Hiro remembers their meeting. They later reunite when Brock moved to Germany at the age of nine. If Hiro ever bothered to take the tests that his teachers asked him to take, he would be a certified genius, but alas, he spends his time plotting up new ways to trick people. It was one of his pranks that actually led to his meeting with Ryoma before she and Brock had met.

The few people that he respects are Ryoma and Ryoga. Hiro is extremely loyal and protective of his friends but insists on showing his feelings through his mischievous side. With his ever loyal sidekick, Toya, they have caused many nightmares for their friends and families in both Germany and France.

Hiro enjoys pranks and surprisingly enough, sewing. Of course, he only gives what he creates to a select few. This red head usually plays tennis as doubles partner to Brock, a.k.a. Knight, and loves to psych out the opponent. His singles play is above average but decided that it would be less troublesome if he had a partner. Plus it just means that there are three people to torment instead of just one. Goody!

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty. The big 2-0! Wow. Although I kind of feel like chapters 19 and 20 were a bit filler-ish, I hope you guys enjoyed them anyway.

Updated 6/29/10.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine to give away. Or own. Whatever

Author's Note: Enjoy! Also, if any of you are also fans of Naruto, I have a different story up starring a Female Naruto. Check it out if you want!

Please, no flames? Just enjoy and review, if you want, but no flames. Effective criticism, on the other hand, is always welcomed.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with this story for so long people! Have fun!

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This is regular conversation in Japanese.

_These are thoughts._

**Signals a change in language other than Japanese.**

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Chapter 21: Cabbages are for eating, not ammunition against the Carrot People….

It was early morning and the sky was still a velvety blue color. It seemed that no one would be lurking outside their room at this time of day, and yet….And yet, there was one figure that could be seen doing laps around a secluded tennis court if any had been awake to see in the first place.

"That makes twenty laps! Whew," The shadowy figure panted in relief while taking a swig out of the water bottle. "I've done my stretches, practice swings, and laps…now all that's left to do is…"

"Play a match against me." A voice said. A body followed shortly after out of the shadows. The figure on the ground quickly stood back up.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's pretty early after all." The player teased the newcomer.

"My roommate snores like a there's a contest for who can snore the loudest. I'm sure he would take first if there was such a contest."

The shadowy athlete gave a snort of laughter. "Atobe-san can't be that bad."

Leo smirked at his friend. "I thought the guy was loud when he was awake and talking. But his snoring could rival that of Nanjiro's when he's drunk and knocked out."

"Now I know you're really exaggerating because no one can top that."

The Yama heir laughed along with his friend. "True, but he comes close though. But regardless of how loud Atobe can snore, I want that match…Ryoma."

Ryoma lifted her head and stared at her long-time friend with a piercing look. "No."

"But why?" Leo asked, frustrated by the lack of progress he was having with Ryoma. "Don't you owe me that much? After all we've been through?"

Ryoma looked away from him and continued to speak as if he hadn't said a word to begin with. "I gave that life up, Leo. I don't want to be the **Prince** anymore. I just…I just want to be me."

"But you'll never be truly yourself if you don't accept the **Prince**, Ryoma." Another voice said gently. Both Ryoma and Leo looked at the newcomers. Leo smirked at who finally made it to the show.

Leo joked, "Been reading those romance novels again, Brock?"

"Hardy hardy har, Leo." Brock mocked, "It doesn't seem like you're having much luck either you know."

"I was…it's just…she's so damn stubborn!" Leo muttered. Hiro, with a sleepy Toya riding on his back, made his way onto the court.

"Let's be serious for once you guys." Hiro, the peacemaker, said, "Leo and Brock are right, Ryoma. You can't escape from the **Prince's** grasp."

Ryoma turned to glare at her friends angrily. "But I don't want to be the **Prince of Tennis** anymore. Hell, I don't even want to be the **Princess of Tennis**. And haven't you heard? I've quit tennis remember?"

"That's not…." Leo tried to speak but Ryoma cut him off. "I've quit tennis. I don't even like it anymore!"

"Bull." Hiro said in a low voice. The others looked at him. He spoke louder and clearly so that they couldn't…wouldn't mistake his next words. "If you really had given up…if you really hated tennis like you said, you wouldn't be keeping in shape. You wouldn't be practicing in secret so that no one else could see your efforts."

The lone female angrily shook her head. "Stop trying to analyze me, Hiro. I'm not one of your opponents!"

Brock added his own input, "Ryoma, Hiro is just stating what he thinks. You know he would never go against you like that!"

"Maybe, maybe…" Leo started to say but he seemed unsure…unsure of how to say his words, "Maybe you need to take a look at yourself more closely, Ryoma. I don't think that you can let the tennis part of you go so easily."

After saying those words slowly, as if they were weighed down with lead, Leo walked towards Hiro and grabbed his little brother for him and walked away.

Brock turned towards his crush and opened his mouth but closed it after. The fading moon reflected in his pale yellow eyes before he closed them and walked away as well. As Ryoma watched her friends leave, Hiro made his way to Ryoma and wrapped his arms around her.

A startled Ryoma looked up at her friend and was barely conscious of the fact that there were tears running down her cheeks until Hiro wiped them away.

"I…I don't…"

Hiro placed a figure on her lips before speaking himself. "Ryoma, we all love you. We may love you in each our own way, but it still doesn't change the face that you are a part of our hearts."

The red-head teenager wrapped his arms tighter around Ryoma before continuing. "We don't care if you were the Prince of Tennis or act as the Princess of Tennis in the future. We love you for the stubborn, cocky girl who can cook up a storm and play a tune that melts the heart…even if you can't carry a note with that voice of yours….So strange."

Ryoma bit back laughter. Hiro smiled as he noticed that the tears were reducing on his friend's face.

"And let's not forget my partner-in-crime when it comes to tormenting Leo and Nanjiro! But what I'm trying to say is that we will love you and be with you no matter what you do. It's just that tennis is as much a part of you as your love for Karupin is. So don't say you hate tennis because not only are you lying and hurting yourself, you're hurting us too…"

"Is it wrong…" Ryoma asked in a quivering voice, "to deny tennis….would that really be so wrong?"

"Have you forgotten Ryoma?" Hiro chastised her in a gentle voice. He sensed that Ryoma was going through an emotional roller coaster at the moment, and like a typical Echizen, they…she doesn't deal well with emotions. "The reason why Leo and Brock, as well as myself, are so mad is because tennis is what brought us to you. If it wasn't for tennis, we would most likely never have met each other at all."

The emerald-haired girl smiled at his words and the smile turned into a smirk as a memory flooded back from the back of her mind.

"Neh, Hiro…I know tennis is what brought Leo and Brock to me. But I recall something other than tennis balls or racquets helping us two meet." Hiro blushed as he too remembered their first encounter.

"As I remember, cabbages are for eating. So how on earth could tennis ever have anything to do with cabbages….or carrots for that matter?"

Hiro chuckled embarrassingly and put up his hand in a defeated gesture. "Ok. Ok. You got me. If you recall, I've haven't done a single prank involving cabbages and carrots since."

"Yeah. But you've moved on the meatier sides of the food pyramid last time I checked from Brock."

The German student just shrugged before giving a matching smirk to the one that she had donned. "It's amazing what you can do with fish….and chickens."

"And cats. Don't forget the cats!" Ryoma jokingly added. Hiro, too, laughed lowly beside her as he also remembered the attack of the invading cats.

Shaking his head musingly, Hiro spoke again, "So. Here we are reminiscing about the past like two old folks when we should be sleeping in our beds like sane students should."

Ryoma smirked, "Yeah, but whoever would be stupid enough to call us sane?"

As the two players laughingly made their way off the court, neither of them noticed that there was an eavesdropper in the tree behind them.

_Oh man…oh man…oh man! I gotta tell sempai about this._ The figure chanted repeatedly in his head. After making sure that the coast was clear, the teenager climbed down the tree with the excitement of a squirrel on speed, and crept his way back to his place.

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In just a little under four hours, the eavesdropper made his way into his sempai's room. Still seeing the sleeping form under the covers, the visitor opted to poking his upperclassman away with his book.

A grumbling third year turned to send a sleepy look at his underclassman. "What do you want? It's a weekend. No classes, remember?"

"I know sempai! But I've got some news for you!" The jittery student said excitedly.

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"ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

"Sempai, I heard everything that they were talking about. Trust me. The female student Ryoma Echizen is none other than the retired _male_ Prince of Tennis."

The third year let a satisfied smile creep onto his face. "Excellent. Mwuahahaha."

The now slightly frightened reporter tried not to show how freaked out he was by his sempai's crazy laughter. "So what are we going to do now?"

The crazy laughter stopped and the third year turned to his kouhai. "First, we are not going to let anyone else know what you've just told me. Is that clear?" The dark-haired eavesdropper nodded his head in acceptance at his sempai's decree.

"Good. Now, this is what we are going to do next…."

He continued to explain his plan while the underclassman's eyes widened with each passing second.

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Finish with chapter 21..

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Read and Reviews…Argh, just no flames please! Effective criticism is okay though.

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Originally written 7/3/10. Edited and posted 3/4/11

Whoa. What a huge gap. Sorry about that!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis!

Hello! Here's the newest addition of "My True Self." I was kind of worried that the last chapter was too…err…sappy and boring so I'm hoping this one is a little better. Bear with me! It's been a while!

Ah! Don't grab the pitchforks! I'm sorry for the long delay. Between my sister's wedding, school, and that long time enemy, procrastination, here is the latest chapter?

This is normal conversation.

_These are thoughts_

**Signals a change in language being spoken**

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Chapter 22:

And some time passed. All the students were gearing up for the Cultural Sports Festival to take place during the approaching weekend. Only two days were left and nearly all the student body was shaking with anticipation. There were a few excerptions…like the Tennis Club and one student in particular: Echizen Ryoma.

Speaking of which, the female protagonist could currently be found hiding out in the chemistry room. Donned in a white lab coat, swirly glasses, and her hair twirled into a bun and stuffed under an bald cap, the female hero was currently in disguise, if you couldn't tell already. Who could she be hiding from? Why none other than her own senpais from the Tennis Club!

Footsteps could be heard running past the door and with each approaching step, Ryoma dared not breath out loud. A shadow of a hand could be seen creeping towards the door handle and Ryoma quivered with fear. A shout outside the door could be heard.

"Momo-senpai! We've already checked here! It's a no go!" The familiar voice of Sakuno told the shadow, who turned out to be Momoshiro.

"Ah. Now where did chibi-chan go?" Momo said in an exasperated tone. "Buchou is definitely gonna make her run laps if she doesn't come to practice today!"

Momoshiro stomped off and Ryoma let loose a sigh of relief. The door slid open and Ryoma stood in view like a deer in the headlights. Two figures entered the classroom and closed the door. Sakuno and Tomoya looked at her sympathetically.

"Figured you be here since you weren't anywhere else." Sakuno murmured in a commiserating voice. "I can't imagine why they would think you would be willing to do it."

Ryoma sank to the ground and started to bemoan her fate. Nothing it seemed was going right for her. Tomoya grinned, "At least you don't have to be in the school play! I'm the Evil Queen!"

Sakuno smiled gently, "But you did so well during auditions, Tomoya-chan."

Tomoya perked up. Ryoma glared feebly at the two and muttered under her breath, "That's what you think."

Unfortunately, the two girls didn't hear her. Or perhaps they weren't meant to. Who knows? Anyway, Ryoma was currently bemoaning her fate and the evils of life that were named the Tennis Club and Drama Club of Phoenix Academy.

===================Flashback==================

"So if anyone have any ideas of what the Tennis Club can do for the Festival, please submit your ideas now," Oishi said in his usual calm voice. Although he was the vice-captain of the Seigaku team, the other two teams generally listened to the mother hen because he was usually fair to all.

Random shouts from the various club members raised the volume up in the auditorium by quite a bit. The Tennis Club was one of the more popular club associations of Phoenix Academy, and so, an auditorium was needed for all its members during important club events such as this. The loud symphony of male teenage voices and a few female ones (not including Ryoma because like always she was napping) were quickly getting out of hand.

Atobe quickly grabbed the mike and whistled into it. Several people jumped and even started to turn into the direction of the stage to glare. The sub-zero glares from Tezuka and Sanada froze them in place and the conversations died down until everyone settled down properly.

"Thank you, Atobe-san." Oishi said calmly before continuing. "Let's do this in a logical manner, minna-san. Now who's first?"

One by one, several people gave their opinions. The three captains and their vice-captains either quickly vetoed the ideas or the common members quickly voiced their lack of interest in it.

"What about a café?" Momoshiro suggested, always one to think with his stomach. "We could have the first years as the waiters, the second years cook, and third years promote and do decorations."

Kaidoh quickly disagreed, "Pssh…cafes are so overrated and overdone. Baka"

Momoshiro got into his rival's face and grabbed his collar. "What was that Mamushi?" Not one to be intimidated, Kaidoh grabbed his Momo's collar as well and started hissing at him.

Before a fight could break out, Inui popped between then and gave them some freaky calculations. "Interesting. It'll be an 89% chance that Momoshiro and Kaidoh will run 50 laps assigned by Tezuka-buchou. But it will be a 99.9% chance that they will be my newest test subjects for my new product, 'Uber Deluxe Veggie Juice!"

As soon as the words 'test subjects' came out of Inui's mouth, both Kaidoh and Momo broke apart. Momoshiro hid behind the napping Ryoma while Kaidoh tried to discreetly hide behind Kawamura-senpai.

"Oro-sama is not glad, but he does agree with the snake player." Atobe frowned. "Cafes are so common. We are the elite Tennis Club. Oro-sama thinks we should do something amazing!"

Light chuckles could be heard. Everyone turned to Fuji who smiled his freakishly scary, gentle smile.

"Why not do an obstacle course with human prizes?" He said before opening his eyes to reveal their chilling cerulean color. "We could incorporate both mental and physical tasks to overcome. I think that it's a good idea."

Nearly all the tennis members, including the more soft-hearted Regular members, rapidly shook their heads in agreement.

"Then it's settled." Yukimura said. "As for prizes, they will be…"

============End Flashback=============

Ryoma moaned again as she remembered that event. Even though everyone thought she had been sleeping, she hadn't really been doing so. Okay, so she had been sleeping, but had started to wake up just as Yukimura-buchou gave his addition to the plan. And the horror of it all…

"I thought we were a tennis club!" Ryoma wailed softly to her friends, "Aren't we supposed to be doing tennis-related things!"

Sakuno and Tomoya exchanged glances. They figured it was a rhetorical question since no one in their right minds willingly disagreed with combine forces of Fuji-senpai and Yukimura-senpai. They felt much pity for their friend, but couldn't help but feel glad that it wasn't them. After all, they weren't the one of the chosen people to act as prizes for the obstacle course.

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Alright that's the end of chapter 22….It's setting up for the upcoming chapter!

Sorry for the late update. I'll try to get the next chapter out before the new year!

Read and Review! Effective criticism, as always, is welcome. Flames can just flicker out and die during this winter.

Random Bit of Info: Just got new contacts in today and while my vision is so much better in the left eye, my right eye seems be taking a little bit longer to adjust. It's making my head a bit dizzy.

Updated 12/17/11


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